Iraola's 'all new signings' pledge hands Harvey Elliott a lifeline at Liverpool

Harvey Elliott’s Liverpool future looked bleak after a loan spell at Aston Villa that yielded just nine Premier League appearances — one short of the threshold that would have triggered a £35 million obligation to buy. But the appointment of Andoni Iraola as head coach has opened the door for the 23-year-old to reclaim his place at Anfield.

Elliott was a fixture under Jürgen Klopp, making 53 and 46 appearances across the German’s final two seasons. That standing eroded sharply under Arne Slot, who arrived in the summer of 2024 and limited the England midfielder to 28 outings before shipping him to Villa in September 2025. At Villa Park, Elliott was omitted from the squad for long stretches, effectively losing an entire season of development at an age when he should be playing regularly.

The timing stings further given that 2025-26 was a World Cup year. Elliott had previously been named Player of the Tournament at the Under-21 European Championship, raising expectations of a senior breakthrough that never materialised.

Iraola, speaking in his first interview as Liverpool head coach, made clear he intends to start with a blank page on every player in the squad. “For me, and I will tell them, [they] are all new signings,” the Basque manager said. “I think we have a lot of quality in our squad, and [I’m] really looking forward to working with them.”

The comments carry obvious significance for Elliott. Iraola added that he has analysed Liverpool’s strengths and weaknesses in depth and believes there is still work to do in the transfer market, but his immediate priority is to evaluate the players already at the club. The only player he knew from previous experience, he noted, was left-back Milos Kerkez.

Reports indicate that Villa were willing to send Elliott back to Liverpool in January, though the two clubs could not agree terms at that stage. With the loan now concluded and the purchase obligation unfulfilled, Elliott will return to Merseyside this summer and, on Iraola’s own framing, will be treated no differently from any new arrival walking through the door.