Harvey Elliott is poised to draw a line under his troubled season and embrace a fresh chapter under Andoni Iraola after the new Liverpool manager hinted he could have a future at Anfield. Elliott endured a torrid loan spell at Aston Villa, barely featuring under Unai Emery, who quickly decided against pursuing a permanent deal for the attacking midfielder.
Loan Spell Nightmare
A £35 million purchase option would have been activated had Elliott made 10 Premier League appearances. In the end, he managed just four, along with four in the Europa League and one in the Carabao Cup. Having already turned out for Liverpool earlier in the campaign, Elliott was barred from joining a third club in January, when Villa's bid to send him back to Anfield was thwarted.
The frustrating predicament left the 23-year-old's career in limbo, but the 2026/27 season offers him an opportunity to prove his worth to Iraola, who has confirmed that every player will begin with a clean slate.
Training Hard
Elliott has demonstrated his determination by linking up with former QPR coach Scott Chickelday ahead of pre-season. The attacking performance coach, who runs the SC9 service, posted a clip of Elliott in action on the training ground. He wrote: "The hard work never stops! Back in with @liverpoolfc attacker @harvelliott looking sharp! The movement on the ball on the first finish."
Iraola's Clean Slate
Elliott will not be alone in trying to win over Iraola following a challenging season under Arne Slot. Speaking following his unveiling, the former Bournemouth boss said: "We've analysed Liverpool a lot – possible weaknesses, the strengths. I think we have a very good squad. I think there is still work to do, like normally in every club in this moment of the season. But right now, for me the thing is to value especially the players that we have right now in the squad. For me, and I will tell them, [they] are all new signings. For me, you are all new signings and I think we have a lot of quality in our squad, and [I'm] really looking forward to working with them."
Iraola added: "I only had, I think, Milos [Kerkez] in the squad before – I know a couple. I've been talking to a couple before, but it will be lovely also to play again with Milos, try to improve him, try to help him in his development. Yeah, definitely looking forward to it."
Pre-Season Opportunity
Those sentiments will come as a huge boost to Elliott, suggesting he is set to be regarded on equal footing with the rest of the squad upon his return to the club this summer. With numerous Reds stars coming back later due to the World Cup, he could find himself with early opportunities to make his mark during pre-season.
