Harvey Elliott faced an agonising wait on Transfer Deadline Day, hoping that his parent club Liverpool, and his loan club Aston Villa came to an agreement over the disaster loan spell he has endured in the Midlands... but they never did.
This time last year, Elliott was flying high with the Reds squad who were on their way to a Premier League title.
Despite only playing 28 times in 2024/25, the young midfielder was at the place he loved being most: Anfield.
He had found it difficult to break into the starting line-up under Arne Slot. Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister had locked down the holding midfield roles, with Dominik Szoboszlai occupying the attacking midfield role.
Away from Anfield, he was a standout player in England's U21 European Championships victory, scoring 5 goals in the tournament.
Yet with all the blockbuster signings, there was no room for Elliott at Liverpool. Unai Emery saw potential in the midfielder, bringing him on loan to Aston Villa with an obligation to buy.
Fast forward some months later, and Elliott finds himself stuck in a predicament where he is unwanted by both Liverpool and Villa.
Are there any actual winners in this doomed loan spell? Here's a breakdown:
Aston Villa
“We decided two months ago that we are not convinced to sign him [Elliott], spending the money we would need to,” said Emery in January.
As if a public declaration of shame was not enough, Villa are hesitant to feature Elliott because of the finances involved in the deal.
The threat of unnecessarily breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) for a player the manager does not even want, is combined with the obligation to buy and pay £35m to Liverpool if Elliott makes 10 appearances.
Had Villa not agreed to the clause in the first place, they would not have their hands tied. The long-term injuries to Boubacar Kamara, who is out of action until next season, as well as John McGinn and Youri Tielemans have hit the club for six.
It gives Elliott the perfect opportunity to shine, but the Liverpool man is just 3 games shy of triggering the option to make his move permanent. To avoid that situation, Villa even went as far as loaning Douglas Luiz, who moved to Juventus in 2024.
Liverpool
Reports have suggested that Aston Villa and Liverpool were in talks earlier this week to negotiate a compromise.
Given that no recall clause was inserted in the summer, that compromise was either to raise the appearances threshold, to turn the obligation to an optional buy or for Elliott to return to the club.
None of that was achieved, further dampening Elliott's hopes of a World Cup call-up which are now non-existent. As per The Athletic, he was hoping for an early return to Anfield.
From a financial and legislative standpoint, Liverpool's position is watertight. If any compromise was to happen, it would involve sentiment and sympathy for a player going through the trenches that has given so much for the club.
Unfortunately for the football romantics, the Liverpool hierarchy chose to think with their heads rather than their hearts.
Unlike the transfer deadline, there are no time limitations for this saga so the possibility still remains of Elliott retruning to Anfield.
However, Liverpool's stance shows that there is little desire in bringing back a player they believed would be leaving the club on a permanent basis.
Harvey Elliott
Having featured for Liverpool in August and September, Elliott has already played for two European clubs this season. This shut down all possibilities of the loan being terminated for the midfielder to move elsewhere, which rationalises Liverpool's stance on the subject.
As far fetched as they were for a player of his quality, there were even links to MLS side Charlotte FC in January.
The only positive to come out of this, for any party, is for possible suitors to look at Elliott's professionalism during this tumultuous loan spell.
For a player who is just 22 years old, he holds a high level of maturity who has the potential to start for most Premier League sides on his day.
His level of patience is admirable, despite his current manager publicly acknowledging that he is not good enough for them to invest in.
He has reportedly gained the respect of those at Villa as he has continued to work hard, train with the first team and attend community projects.
For whoever Harvey Elliott plays for next season, they will have a player who is mentally years older in maturity. Now it's time to let his feet do the talking once again.