Harvey Elliott joins Valencia on loan after Liverpool omit him from first two squads

Harvey Elliott has joined Valencia on loan for the 2025-26 season, departing Liverpool after being omitted from Arne Slot’s matchday squad for the club’s opening two Premier League fixtures.

The England Under-21 international arrives at the LaLiga club on a free loan — Valencia will pay no fee — following a difficult 12 months that included a similarly frustrating spell at Aston Villa. Elliott made only nine appearances at Villa Park last season, largely because a contractual clause would have obliged Villa to purchase him from Liverpool for £35m had he reached a tenth game.

Elliot’s path back into Slot’s plans was further narrowed by Liverpool’s £106m signing of Bradley Barcola, which added another wide option ahead of him in the pecking order. Manager Andoni Iraola had already shown a preference for other players in the squad before the Barcola deal was concluded.

The 23-year-old has scored 15 goals across 149 appearances for Liverpool since joining the club as a teenager, but has found consistent first-team football elusive since Jurgen Klopp’s departure from Anfield. Under Slot in 2024-25, Elliott started just two Premier League matches before being sent to Villa, where he then started only once.

Valencia, who compete in La Liga, represent Elliott’s second successive loan away from Merseyside and his first move outside England. The hope will be that regular football in Spain can revive a career that has stalled despite early promise at one of the Premier League’s most successful clubs.