Liverpool blamed entirely for Harvey Elliott demise as unscrupulous reason for Aston Villa inactivity is aired

With Harvey Elliott’s season of frustration and inactivity showing little signs of improving at Aston Villa, a shock, alternative theory for his lack of action has been floated – and rather than blaming Unai Emery, the blame has been pinned, surprisingly, all on Liverpool.

The 22-year-old seemed to have the world at his feet last summer when he was named Player of the Tournament as England Under-21s retained their UEFA European Championships title. And while it was clear that he did not have a future at Liverpool under Arne Slot, a transfer to Aston Villa appeared to mark a glorious new chapter in the playmaker’s career.

Joining the Villans on a loan move that contained an obligation to make a permanent £35m (€40m, $47m) move if he played 10 times, it soon became very apparent that Elliott was not a player overly appreciated by Emery, who made it clear in November that he would not want to trigger his signing permanently.

In light of that, Villa had approached Liverpool over changing the conditions of the deal over the January window, which could have seen the obligation to make the move permanent lifted, though with Villa potentially paying a small price to back out of the deal.

Ultimately, though, that would not have benefited the Reds and, sadly for Elliott, the 10-game obligation remains in place as a condition of his move.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot appeared to give such a notion very short shrift.

While a loophole in the deal has since emerged that does give Elliott some hope of still featuring for Villa this season, a new theory has emerged as to why Elliott has been left largely kicking his heels on the sidelines – and this time the blame has been placed on Liverpool, as opposed to the common theory which appears to point the finger at Villa.

And appearing on talkSPORT, former Liverpool MD and ex Villa CEO, Christian Purslow, has suggested there are ulterior motives involved…

Want more breaking news lines from original sources? Add TEAMtalk as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust.

Liverpool had good reason not to re-negotiate Harvey Elliott deal

Explaining his theory, Purslow stated: “Liverpool weren’t playing ball, and they weren’t playing ball because of what is hanging over today’s fixtures, which has been hanging over the last few weeks, which is the top five outcome.

“The stakes on Champions League qualification, guys, are so high, probably £90 to £100 million in revenue next year in or out, then frankly, the £5 to £10 million that you might lose if Harvey Elliott doesn’t kick a ball and bounces back in the summer is peanuts compared to whether Liverpool get fifth or Villa get fifth. So that’s why Liverpool aren’t playing ball.”

In simple terms, Purslow thinks that by not wanting to trigger the £35m clause for Elliot, Villa’s chances of a top-five finish could be impacted, with Liverpool in a position to gain from that, as opposed to simply accepting a £5m to £10m settlement on the player now.

An interesting theory, which actually carries some weight when you think about it.

And with fifth-placed Liverpool trailing Villa by three points after this weekend’s action, and with the race for the top five really heating up, the Reds’ decision not to renegotiate those terms could ultimately prove the difference if one of the sides misses out…

In the meantime, a new loophole has been uncovered that may allow Elliott the chance to rack up more minutes this season.

According to the Birmingham Mail‘s John Townley, that 10-game transfer trigger only applies to Premier League games – handing Elliott a genuine chance of playing a more prominent role over the remainder of the season.

As it stands, Elliott has made just four appearances so far in the Premier League, meaning he could yet be involved on five more occasions across the club’s final 10 league fixtures of the season without triggering that obligation.

More importantly, he could still play for Villa as often as Emery selects him in the Europa League; a competition Villa will have high hopes of going deep into and with the club already through to the last 16, where they will face French side Lille.

Liverpool urged to sign £65m gem to replace ‘erratic’ star; £100m superstar lined up

Meanwhile, Liverpool have been urged to sign Manchester United target Adam Wharton in a statement summer deal, while Slot’s side have also been told to consider a shock midfield sale.

Elsewhere, we can confirm Real Madrid are indeed showing interest in a Liverpool midfield maestro.

In other news, Liverpool have been urged to break the bank to sign a world-class PSG superstar as a replacement for Mo Salah, and with a controversial broadcaster revealing the surprise move he has heard the Egyptian superstar will now be making this summer.

And finally, Liverpool have set the wheels in motion for a huge £100m summer deal, fresh reports on Monday have claimed, and in a move that could futureproof a vital Reds area for several years to come…

Get the inside story first by joining our TEAMtalk Facebook channel to receive the latest breaking and exclusive news straight into your Messenger inbox.