"A WASTE": DEAN SMITH SLAMS VILLA FOR FREEZING OUT STAR HARVEY ELLIOTT
Trapped by FIFA rules and a £35m clause, Harvey Elliott eyes a shock MLS loan to Charlotte FC to save his 2026 World Cup chances.
Harvey Elliott, the guy who grabbed all those headlines at the under-21 Euros, is now stuck on the sidelines in the Premier League. He left Liverpool hoping for more minutes at Aston Villa, but that plan hasn’t worked out. Instead of regular football, he’s barely seen the pitch—just 174 minutes in all competitions so far. To make things even trickier, he’s already played for two European clubs this season, so FIFA rules block him from moving anywhere else in Europe for now.
That leaves Elliott with some pretty limited choices. Realistically, it’s either a move to the Saudi Pro League or a shot at MLS. Word is, he’s leaning toward the States. Charlotte FC are especially interested and looking at bringing him in on loan, since there’s no way they’re paying the £35 million Liverpool wants.
Dean Smith, who used to manage Villa and now runs Charlotte, actually confirmed all this to Sky Sports. He said, “I put the feelers out when I was over there. I figured there’s an opportunity here. If he’s not going to play for Villa and he can’t go anywhere else in Europe, why not let him get some games in before the World Cup break? If he sits out until then, it’s a waste. The door’s open if Villa and Liverpool agree.”
On Villa’s end, Unai Emery spoke pretty frankly about Elliott’s situation. “We respect him a lot—he’s a great professional, always respectful. But there’s a problem. He’s on loan, and if he plays more games, we have to buy him. Two months ago, we decided we’re not ready to spend that money. That’s just where things stand. He’s training hard, helping out, but it’s not good for anyone. That’s football—sometimes you make tough calls that don’t make anyone happy.”
SCATHING VERDICT: ANGE POSTECOGLOU CLAIMS TOTTENHAM ARE "NOT A BIG CLUB" TODAY
Ange Postecoglou claims Tottenham "isn't a big club" in a scathing review of their transfer policy following Thomas Frank's sacking.
Ange Postecoglou didn’t mince words about why Tottenham keep falling short. He says the club’s refusal to really compete with the Premier League’s top spenders holds them back, simple as that.
Postecoglou got the boot last June, right after he delivered a Europa League trophy and ended a 17-year wait for silverware. Now his replacement, Thomas Frank, is out too. Tottenham sit 16th in the league, just five points clear of relegation, and they’ve got league leaders Arsenal up next. Not exactly a fun place to be.
After Frank’s sacking, Postecoglou went on The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast and pretty much called out Tottenham’s whole approach. “If you look at what they spend and how they structure wages, they’re just not a big club,” he said. He saw it firsthand while trying to sign players; Tottenham just weren’t in the race for the big names.
In his first season, Postecoglou managed to get Tottenham up to fifth. But things went downhill. The next year, even with that Europa League win, they slipped to 17th. He’s convinced the club just doesn’t get what it takes to win, you have to take some risks, and they just won’t.
“I felt like the club was saying, ‘We’re one of the big boys,’ but honestly, they’re not,” he said.
Frank was Tottenham’s fifth full-time manager since Mauricio Pochettino left in 2019, even though Pochettino took them to a Champions League final. Fans are frustrated. Tottenham keep missing out on their transfer targets. Frank wanted Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest last summer, but that didn’t happen. Arsenal snatched up Eberechi Eze instead.
Postecoglou, who later had a short, rocky stint at Forest himself, thinks Frank might not have realised what he was getting into. “There’s no guarantee with any manager. They’ve had some world-class people in that job and still no real success. Why is that?” he asked. “What’s the real objective here? Did Thomas even know what he was walking into? Who knows?
136-YEAR CURSE: BURNLEY AVOID MATCHING 1890 RECORD WITH A SENSATIONAL COMEBACK CRYSTAL PALACE 3-2 WIN
Burnley escaped a historic 136-year record! Read how Scott Parker’s men scored three in six minutes to stun Crystal Palace 3-2.
Burnley looked finished. Down 2-0 after just half an hour, with Jørgen Strand Larsen scoring his first goals for Crystal Palace, it pretty much felt like Scott Parker’s team were about to tie their old record: 17 top-flight games without a win, a streak that’s haunted them since 1890. For Burnley fans, the past three months have been brutal. Then, out of nowhere, everything flipped in six wild minutes right before halftime.
Hannibal Mejbri pulled one back. Jaidon Anthony levelled it. Then Jefferson Lerma, of all people, knocked in an own goal. Just like that, Burnley snatched only their second away win since promotion. It keeps their survival hopes alive, barely, but Parker knows they’ll need a few more miracles like this to actually stay up.
For Palace, this was a harsh wake-up call. Their big win over Brighton had just snapped a 12-game winless spell, and for a while, it looked like Oliver Glasner’s side were cruising to only their third home victory of the season, something that would’ve eased their relegation fears. But sloppy defending let Burnley right back in.
Burnley’s luck before kickoff didn’t exactly scream “comeback”. Parker had never won a league game in London as an away manager, and the team bus got stuck in traffic, pushing kick-off back by ten minutes. Palace, for their part, hadn’t lost at home to a promoted side since Sunderland thrashed them 4-0 back in 2017.
When Strand Larsen smashed in a gorgeous ball from Adam Wharton and then dived to head in Lerma’s cross after Kyle Walker messed up, it just seemed like Burnley were doomed.
But then Mejbri gave the visitors a lifeline, beating Dean Henderson with a sharp finish. Suddenly, Burnley were level. There was some debate about whether Lesley Ugochukwu handled the ball before setting up Anthony to score, but nobody could argue with the bottom corner finish – no chance for the keeper.
Then came the third: Bashir Humphreys’ header was stopped by Henderson, but Lerma could only turn the rebound into his own net. Palace trudged off at halftime to boos. Glasner sent them back out early, probably after some choice words in the dressing room.
Even with £35 million man Brennan Johnson on the pitch, Palace couldn’t break down Burnley’s defence. Daichi Kamada missed a decent chance, and Martin Dubravka’s save in stoppage time kept out Ismaïla Sarr. In the end, it was Burnley’s small but loud travelling support celebrating. Somehow, their team had pulled off a rare and badly needed win.