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News
- 24 minutes ago
Liverpool fans in Harvey Elliott conspiracy theory amid Aston Villa struggles
Tom Weber
- 24 Oct 2025 11:34 BST
- 5 min read
News
Liverpool fans believe they have uncovered the real reason behind Harvey Elliott's lack of minutes at Aston Villa so far.
The attacking midfielder joined Aston Villa on loan in the summer after failing to establish himself as a starter at Anfield. Elliott was fresh off a stunning U21 European Championship campaign with England, and many Liverpool fans were sad to see him leave.
The 22-year-old had been a super sub for the reigning Premier League champions, but it was clear that he needed to play consistently to fulfil his evident potential.
Current ETV
Harvey Elliott
M (C), F (R)
Aston Villa
Harvey Elliott
M (C), F (R)
Aston Villa
ETV Range
€34.5M - €42.2M
His move to Aston Villa was seen as a win-win scenario for all parties. Elliott looked set for an outsized role in Unai Emery's side, the Birmingham club signed a player with a point to prove and Liverpool negotiated a lucrative, easy-to-trigger €40 million purchase obligation.
This obligation will come into effect if Elliott makes 10 appearances for Villa this season. On the face of it, such a low number of games should all but guarantee that his stay at Villa Park becomes permanent. However, some fans now believe that it is actually holding him back.
Aston Villa to send Elliott back to Liverpool?
On Thursday, Eredivisie side Go Ahead Eagles achieved a famous 2-1 victory over Emery's men in the Europa League, and Elliott did not get a single minute of football. It was his third consecutive game of being merely an unused substitute.
The attacking midfielder was hooked at half-time against Fulham in late September and hasn't been seen on the pitch since. This has prompted Liverpool fans on social media to suggest that Villa are refusing to play Elliott to avoid having to sign him permanently.
Villa have had problems with the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability Rules as well as UEFA's Squad Cost Ratio rule, so it is posited that they are reluctant to play Elliott due to the uncertainty over their finances.
If there were some truth to this conspiracy theory, Emery would have to be careful about using Elliott, as he has already made five appearances for the Villans. It has even been suggested that the youngster's loan could be cancelled in January.
However, it seems questionable that this is the reason why he isn't getting minutes. As The Athletic points out, it is likely more to do with the fact that Emery has a very specific idea of what the attacking midfielders in his system need to do.
When he has given Elliott chances, Emery has not been entirely happy with what he has seen from him. He has repeatedly insisted that the England youth international needs time to acclimatise to a new style of play.
After years of playing under Jurgen Klopp, Elliott is accustomed to quick, heavy-metal football, which is not what his new coach wants from him. Emery desires a more measured approach to possession and was unhappy with Elliott taking needless risks when passing the ball.
The game against Go Ahead Eagles was a damaging setback, but it is difficult to deny that Villa have looked improved without Elliott, which is why Emery has opted to leave him on the bench in recent games. Once he becomes more used to the Spaniard's philosophy, he will play.
A similar conspiracy theory appeared recently regarding Marc Guiu. It was claimed that, because he had already played for Sunderland during his brief loan in the summer, Chelsea did not want to use him so that he could be sent away again in January.
Players are only allowed to play for two clubs in a season as per FIFA rules. However, this theory was quickly debunked when Enzo Maresca gave the young striker minutes not longer after it emerged, and he has since gone on to score for the Blues in the Champions League.
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