Why Liverpool should not push Harvey Elliott into the first team yet
Liverpool have a handful of very talented loanees, and 18-year-old forward Harvey Elliott might just be at the top of the list. Currently on loan at Blackburn Rovers, Elliott is having one heck of a season for the Blue and Whites in the EFL Championship. He’s even a nominee for Young Player of the Season in the competition.
Elliott is playing so well that there’s some buzz among fans – and in certain tabloids – that he could make a leap to the Liverpool first team for the 2021-2022 season.
The right winger has scored 7 goals with 11 assists this season. Those are excellent numbers, and the assists jump off the page. Elliott isn’t just adept at scoring goals or making highlight-reel plays. He’s very much a creative presence for Blackburn. Per WhoScored.com, Elliott is averaging 1.7 key passes per game.
Diogo Jota has slotted in nicely as a secondary left wing option for Sadio Mane, who could even be on the way out this summer. He’s not been nearly at his best this season. Elliott could then be a nice secondary option for Mohamed Salah on the right-hand side. While Elliott isn’t as ready to compete yet as Jota, who is nearing “star” quality, Salah is more entrenched than Mane and is currently tied for the Premier League Golden Boot lead.
Liverpool would be wise to find a bigger loan move for Harvey Elliott
Elliott may have the quality to play in the Premier League as a rotational piece on the right-hand side of Jurgen Klopp’s vaunted attack, but is rushing him really the best idea? The England international is still just 18, and he’s not close to the finished product.
Looking at the numbers, Elliott averages under one dribble completed and one foul drawn per game. His defensive contributions are also quite low, with just one total tackle and interception per game. That could become a problem if he can’t adjust to Klopp’s demanding tactics at the forward position.
Elliott is a standout player for Blackburn, but the EFL Championship isn’t the best judge of quality. Some players can make the leap quite nicely, but these are usually players who can create their own chances and have a higher volume of key passes, dribbles completed, and fouls drawn than Elliott. While Elliott is pretty strong in one of those categories, he could still use some work in other areas of his game. He can already play for the Reds as a backup, but in order to get the minutes he needs to keep improving, he needs a different situation.
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Another loan move may be the best move for the teenager. He could play in a different league at a higher level of competition so that Liverpool can see how he adjusts to different tactics and opponents. That’s a better next step to his development, even if Elliott could conceivably be useful to the Reds in the short term. It is better for the club to prioritize what’s best for Elliott in the next five years. And game time should be the priority.