‘If I had it my way…’ – Harvey Elliott voices firm message regarding his future at Liverpool | OneFootball

Harvey Elliott has had to be incredibly patient for opportunities at Liverpool this season, but he’s made it unmistakably clear that he’s not looking to jump ship any time soon.

The midfielder/attacker only turned 22 earlier this month and is already closing in on 150 first-team appearances for the Reds, but each of his 14 Premier League appearances under Arne Slot have come as a substitute (Transfermarkt).

There were reports last week that Bournemouth are keeping tabs on the England under-21 international with a view to a potential summer raid, and the player has admitted to feeling ‘angry’ and ‘frustrated’ over his sporadic game-time during the current campaign (The Times).

Elliott has no desire to leave Liverpool

However, in an interview with the Liverpool Echo which was published on Wednesday morning, Elliott emphatically stated his desire to remain with the club that he loves and hopes that a decision over his future won’t be taken out of his hands.

The Reds’ number 19 said: “I hope that I can push on. This is my team, I am committed to them and it’s just a situation that is always going to have a lot of talk. I just need to think about what is best for my future, my career and as much as I want it to be here, you never know what is going to happen around the corner.

“If I had it my way, that would be here. I would play each and every game here and stay here for the rest of my career but it all depends on managers, the people above. As I said, you don’t know what could happen, but as far as I am aware I am here, here to stay, and this is the club I want to be at.

“Hopefully I am still here, to be honest. It is the best place to be, the best club to be at and especially having the fans around us at the moment, I don’t think there is a better place to be playing.

“Players go through ups and downs but at the end of the day you have to come out fighting, and I think it is within myself to make it happen, so hopefully I can stay here for the rest of my career.”

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Elliott truly seems to love playing for Liverpool

That Elliott has played a mere 651 minutes all season is largely down to the intense level of competition for places in midfield and attack, rather than any major shortcomings of his own, although it’s still quite a regression from the 2,786 minutes that he had on the pitch last term.

It’s not uncommon for players at the epicentre of transfer speculation to publicly iterate their commitment to their current club even if they’re struggling for form or game-time, but there’s an authenticity to the 22-year-old’s words which suggests that it’s more than just diplomatic rhetoric.

He’s been an avid Liverpool supporter since childhood, attending Champions League finals as a fan before he every played for the club, and it’s evident from his comments above that pulling on the red shirt means everything to him.

There may come a point where Elliott feels compelled to move on for the sake of his career if he continues to be left feeding off scraps, much like the dilemma facing Caoimhin Kelleher, although the ex-Fulham youngster will realise that circumstances outside his control could yet conspire in his favour.

A talented player who clearly loves representing this great club, we hope that our number 19 will remain at Anfield for the foreseeable future and will be afforded more game-time by Slot as we seek to defend our Premier League title next season.