Harvey Elliott SEALS fate after mysterious call

The appointment of Arne Slot at Liverpool marked the start of a new era at Anfield, but this hasn’t been a positive for every Liverpool player.

Although the Reds have seen a notable improvement in some players, such as Ryan Gravenberch and Ibramhima Konate, there are a few players that have fallen to the periphery of the squad since Slot’s arrival.

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The most obvious case of this is Harvey Elliott, who has only played 243 minutes so far this season.

The 21-year-old once again failed to make it off the bench as Liverpool were chasing a win against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night and that begs the question:

What is going on with Harvey Elliott?

Elliott’s place in the squad under Slot

Although the youngster has struggled for minutes under his new manager, he hasn’t looked massively out of place when he has been on the pitch.

Elliott has only completed 90 minutes twice under Slot, once against Southampton in the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup and last weekend against Accrington Stanley in the third round of the FA Cup.

The rest of his cameos have been limited to less than 20 minutes.

Elliott did of course suffer a broken foot earlier in the season, which saw him sidelined for over two months, but he had barely featured before and that hasn’t changed since he returned to training.

Elliott’s performance under Slot

There is no glaringly obvious reason why Elliott has featured less under Slot, the answer is probably much more complex.

In Jurgen Klopp’s final season, Elliott made over 50 appearances for Liverpool, with 27 starts, and he looked like a player who clearly offered something to the side.

Statistically there has been some drop off between the Elliott of last season and this campaign, but nothing too alarming.

The 21-year-old is taking less shots per 90 minutes and completing a slightly lower percentage of his passes but is making more tackles and interceptions per 90 too.

This could be a symptom of the change in system that came with the arrival of Slot, but it shouldn’t be enough to keep him out of the team.

The more alarming stat is that Elliott has attempted three take-ons when he has the ball this season and failed to complete a single one. He also hasn’t been involved in a single aerial duel this campaign.

What is going on with Harvey Elliott?

The boyhood Liverpool’s fan’s worrying performance in these two categories could simply be down to the fact he has often come on late in games that his side are already winning.

His wider issue of not being able to break into the team doesn’t appear to be down to a fall off in form, and it is difficult to expect much of a player if they are only getting five or six minutes every other game.

There could be a deeper issue with how Elliott performs in training but there is no evidence to suggest that this has ever been an issue before, or that it is an issue now.

Elliott will undoubtedly be frustrated with his diminished role for the Reds this season, and he has reportedly attracted interest from both Borussia Dortmund and Brighton.

It may be that he just needs a proper run in a team to establish himself, an opportunity he hasn’t yet been afforded by Slot, but it may simply be the case that Harvey Elliott isn’t an Arne Slot player.

As harsh as it may seem, because he has been a fantastic servant to the club over the past three seasons, Elliott may not fit the profile of player that Slot wants in his Liverpool side.

Jarell Quansah appears to have found himself in a similar position, despite usurping Konate to a starting spot in Klopp’s final few months last season.

There is no obvious answer to the question ‘what is going on with Harvey Elliott?’, and his future may not be at Liverpool, but the Anfield fateful will hold out hope that the 21-year-old can rediscover his best form and achieve his astronomical potential.

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