BRING HIM HOME: FANS DEMAND ARNE SLOT RECALLS STRUGGLING HARVEY ELLIOTT
Harvey Elliott is overlooked at Aston Villa, sparking fan calls for Arne Slot to recall him. Due to FIFA rules, returning to Liverpool is his only escape from the bench.
It looks like Arne Slot may face calls to bring Harvey Elliott back to Liverpool. The midfielder is struggling for game time at Aston Villa.
The England U21 player has only played in five games for Villa, starting in only two. To make it worse, Unai Emery hasn't put him in the Premier League squad since the Tottenham game in October.
Elliott was left out again during Villa's 2-1 victory over Arsenal. Jadon Sancho was chosen for the squad instead, even though he hasn't played well recently. After a late goal, Villa is now second in the league.
Emery said that Emiliano Buendia's good performance, which has helped his Villa career recently, is one reason why Elliott hasn't been playing much.
Liverpool fans have been using social media to ask Slot to bring Elliott back to Anfield. One X user said, Another Villa game without Harvey Elliott. Bring him home!
Another user said, I'd rather he were on our bench than theirs. He deserves better.
Someone else said, "It's ridiculous that Harvey Elliott can't even make the bench for Aston Villa." I like and respect Unai Emery, but better managers than him have found plenty of work for Harvey.
Reports say that Villa's choice to sign Elliott was mainly because of Monchi, the club's former president of football operations. Monchi left less than a month after Elliott came to the team, which may be due to disagreements with Emery about transfer targets.
Elliott is in a tough spot now. FIFA rules say a player can't play for more than two clubs in one season. Since he has already played for Liverpool and Villa, his only options are to either break into Villa’s first team or go back to Liverpool under Slot. Right now, both seem unlikely.
Football Insider reports that Liverpool isn't happy with the situation. Both clubs are expected to talk before the January transfer window, when Elliott might be brought back.
Slot said he knows how Elliott must feel as he struggles to get playing time at Villa. During a press conference before Liverpool's game with Leeds, the Reds manager seemed to feel for the 22-year-old’s situation.
Slot said he hasn't talked to him much; I haven’t had contact with him a lot, I think only once or twice, and that was before he played Feyenoord away and after, Slot said. But that had more to do with him playing against a former club of mine, so no, I haven’t spoken to him.
“I am aware of his situation, of course. I knew how difficult it already was for him over here, so I think I know how he feels at this moment, but you should ask those questions at Villa and not over here when it’s about his playing time.”
ALISSON "OPEN" TO LIVERPOOL EXIT AS JUVENTUS PREPARE MASSIVE SWAP DEAL OFFER
With Alisson Becker open to a Juventus move, Liverpool is scouring the market for a replacement ahead of a major summer rebuild.
Liverpool isn’t just sitting around; it’s actively searching for someone to take Alisson Becker’s spot since Juventus looks serious about making a bid for their veteran keeper. Even though Alisson’s got a year left on his deal after the club triggered an extension back in March, he might leave this summer.
He’s been Liverpool’s go-to guy in goal since he arrived from Roma in 2018; he’s played 332 games, cost £67 million, and for years, he was untouchable. But injuries have piled up during the 2025/26 season, and it’s starting to look like his time at Anfield could be coming to an end.
Juventus are now right in the mix. Apparently, Alisson isn’t against the idea of leaving Liverpool, and Juventus could even throw their own goalkeeper, Michele Di Gregorio, into the deal for the Brazilian.
Juve are ready to offer Alisson a contract running through the summer of 2028, with an extra year as an option. Sky Sports says Liverpool already knows what’s happening and is getting their ducks in a row before a massive transfer window.
The club’s facing a big summer. Salah and Robertson are going, and now they might need a new keeper too. Giorgi Mamardashvili has stepped up when Alisson was out, playing 18 games across all competitions, but he’s injured himself, leaving Slot with just Freddie Woodman as his only fit option.
Recently, Slot was asked if losing Alisson at the same time as Robertson and Salah would be too much. He said, “The club makes decisions it thinks are right. If this happens, there's a reason behind it, maybe another good reason why we did what we did.”
He pointed out that Liverpool doesn’t make transfers on a whim. Decisions are thought through, with the club’s interests always at heart.
Regarding keeping Alisson for his experience, Slot admitted that’s one argument, but there are others and, ultimately, the club will decide what’s best. Alisson’s contract still has a year left.
When pressed about Juventus, Slot replied, “Ali’s main focus is clear; he wants to get back in goal for Liverpool as soon as possible and then play for Brazil. That’s his short- and mid-term future.”
LIVERPOOL WARNED TO OFFER CURTIS JONES NEW CONTRACT BEFORE 14-MONTH DEADLINE
Analysis: Curtis Jones’ elite passing stats and why Jermaine Pennant believes Liverpool cannot afford to lose the versatile midfielder.
Liverpool really needs to sort out a new contract for Curtis Jones before they make the same mistake it did with Luis Diaz. That’s what the Inside Liverpool panel thinks, especially now that Diaz is lighting up Bayern Munich and making Liverpool’s transfer moves look pretty questionable.
Bayern’s front three, with Diaz in the mix, have racked up 100 goals across all competitions this season – the first time any non-Spanish team has done that. Diaz himself has bagged 26 goals in 46 matches and just scored against PSG in the Champions League semi-final.
Looking back, Liverpool probably wish they hadn’t let Diaz walk for £65 million last summer. Since then, fans at Anfield haven’t seen anyone who brings what he did: that relentless pressing, always looming as a threat on the counter. Sure, they’ve brought in Rio Ngumoha, a teenager, just 17, but Arne Slot, the coach, knows you can’t just expect him to fill those shoes right away.
On talkSPORT’s Inside Liverpool, Jermaine Pennant, who has played for the club, said that Liverpool has to bring in another proven attacker over the summer. Pennant’s point: Diaz was great whether he played in the middle or on the left, and Liverpool needs someone with that kind of flexibility. You don’t want to sign a backup like Hugo Ekitike and then end up overcrowding with too many strikers when the main guy returns.
Now, Jones could end up in the same boat this summer. There’s a lot of uncertainty around his future, and when you look at the numbers, he’s only got 14 months left on his contract. Several clubs in England and Europe are watching, and he’s only started 15 games for Liverpool this season.
Even though he hasn’t played much, Jones is impressing; he’s second only to Rodri in midfielder passes per 90 minutes in the Premier League. He’s also ranked second behind Moises Caicedo for passing accuracy, and right behind Rayan Cherki for carries. Pennant said the club can’t afford to let him go: Jones is so versatile; you can play him anywhere in midfield or even right back. He knows the club, loves it, and helps connect the squad.
Jones has been one of the top performers recently. Pennant thinks Liverpool should offer him a new deal, especially since the squad is thinning out and they’ve already lost Trent Alexander-Arnold. In the end, it’s up to Jones if he wants to stay or move for more game time, but Liverpool has to make the offer while they still can.
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