Tottenham Hotspur target and Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott has agreed to join Aston Villa on a season-long loan
Tottenham announced the arrival of Xavi Simons last week after agreeing a deal worth £51m with RB Leipzig.
The Dutchman has signed a deal until 2030, becoming the sixth summer signing for the Lilywhites. Yet, after the defeat to Bournemouth at home at the weekend, there are concerns among the White Hart Lane faithful that a couple of positions need strengthening before the deadline day if Thomas Frank wants to compete well in all competitions this season.
Spurs were vying for a creative player well before James Maddison sustained an ACL rupture. The serious injury to Maddison accentuated their need to bring in a No.10, and the Hotspur Way chiefs acted by signing Xavi Simons. Before landing Simons, though, Tottenham were linked with several creative midfielders from the Premier League and abroad. And one of them was Harvey Elliott.
Tottenham-linked Liverpool star has agreed to join Aston Villa
Liverpool star Harvey Elliott had emerged as a target for Tottenham to replace the injured Maddison.
The England Under-21 international has been on the periphery at Liverpool since the appointment of Arne Slot last year. After returning from a three-month absence due to a knee surgery, he barely got regular minutes as Arne Slot preferred the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones and Alexis Mac Allister ahead of Harvey Elliott in his midfield.
There has been no change in the new season as well thus far, with the 22-year-old managing only one substitute appearance in the Premier League. Elliott has been firm on his decision to leave the Reds to play regularly and enhance his chances of getting into the World Cup squad next year. And his wish has been granted by the English champions.
According to credible journalist Fabrizio Romano on X, Aston Villa have reached a verbal agreement with Liverpool to sign Elliott on loan, with an obligation to buy guaranteed for £35m. Medical tests are currently being arranged.
The English talent will hope to get regular game time at Aston Villa which he was not clocking under Slot at Anfield since last season. That being said, is missing out on Elliott a blow for Tottenham?
Not really. Simons has been signed to address the creativity issue that was so glaring in Tottenham’s defeat to Bournemouth. Tottenham are well-stocked in the midfield department, with young guns Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall only getting limited minutes off the bench. Plus, Dejan Kulusevski is still out and his return from injury in the future will only add to the depth in midfield.
After the addition of Simons, bringing in Elliott would have not made much sense. Now that Elliott is heading to Villa, the Hotspur Way chiefs must try a last-ditch attempt to try and bring in a centre-back before the window slams shut.