Harvey Elliott once considered an English prodigy, is now the big loser of the Wirtz deal at FC Liverpool.
Harvey Elliott’s commitment to FC Liverpool was evident on April 27. His Reds won 5-1 against Tottenham Hotspur, and Elliott confronted Richarlison.
The Brazilian once played for Liverpool’s city rivals Everton, and Elliott gestured with his fingers, alluding to Richarlison’s former club’s titleless spell. Elliott laughed, but the joy might have faded for the 22-year-old. Elliott is the big loser of Florian Wirtz’s impending arrival.
Harvey Elliott has no rosy prospects at Liverpool anymore.
The German international is expected to travel to England by the end of the week for a medical at the Reds. A transfer fee of 136.3 million euros to Bayer Leverkusen has already been reported.
For Elliott, there might be no place left at the English champion, especially after Wirtz signs. The left-footed player was once considered a prodigy and debuted for the Reds’ professionals at 16.
Elliott wrote history as a youth
His mentor, Jürgen Klopp, had great expectations for the offensive midfielder. In Klopp’s last year, he played 34 league games with three goals, nine assists, and 1,335 minutes. Elliott was on the verge of becoming a regular.
However, with Arne Slot’s arrival last summer, the tables turned. Elliott only started six times in all competitions. In 18 Premier League games, the talent only played 360 minutes – just four complete games.
He can’t get past notable competitors like Dominik Szoboszlai, Luis Díaz, Cody Gakpo, or Diogo Jota. Mo Salah is untouchable. Now Wirtz is added.
Elliott doesn’t seem to like the new competitor very much. In a Q&A, the playmaker stated without hesitation that he would rank Chelsea star Cole Palmer higher than Wirtz.
Elliott probably doesn’t want even fewer playing time. He now announced: “I don’t want to waste years in my career because it’s short. You never know what will happen.”
Elliott transfer caused legal dispute
It became clear in what dilemma the left-footed player is. He loved FC Liverpool since his childhood in London and was overjoyed when Klopp signed the youth from FC Fulham in July 2019. Elliott also visited Real Madrid but declined.
The transfer caused a stir. Fulham didn’t want to let go of their jewel, who had just become the youngest player in Premier League history at 16 years and 30 days and played in the League Cup at 15.
It even led to a legal dispute that lasted over a year. In the end, Liverpool was sentenced by the Professional Football Compensation Committee to a transfer fee of 1.8 million euros. Bonuses could have brought the total to 5.1 million euros.
An Elliott departure this summer is about different sums. The Englishman has a contract until 2027 and a market value of 30 million euros.
According to reports from England, the reserve player can leave for around 50 million euros. Aston Villa is said to be in pole position. Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, and the Wolverhampton Wanderers are also said to be interested.
“Nothing makes me want to leave. I love the club, I love the fans, the team. I support them. But above all, it’s about what’s best for my career,” Elliott said.
Stuart Pearce, ex-player of West Ham or Manchester City, also advised the Liverpool star to move to *TalkSport*. “The boy has to play. Klopp has already stated that he didn’t let him play enough. Harvey hasn’t played enough again this year. I think that would be a good step for everyone.”
U21-EM as a big stage?
The U21-EM should be perfect for the captain of the English selection. He can play himself perfectly into the spotlight – and did so directly in the first game.
In the 3-1 against the Czech Republic at the start, Elliott scored the 1-0. In the following 0-0 against Slovenia, the post prevented the next goal.
In the 1-2 defeat in the final group game against Germany, Elliott was hardly able to set any accents apart from a distorted finish, he was substituted at half-time. But in the quarter-finals against Spain he has the next chance to show himself.