Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp was interested in signing Harvey Elliott for RB Leipzig before the playmaker’s eventual switch to Aston Villa
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is now Red Bull’s global head of soccer (Image: Zac Goodwin/PA Wire)
Jürgen Klopp was keen to sign Harvey Elliott for RB Leipzig before the midfielder eventually joined Aston Villa on deadline day.
Although unsuccessful, it was the second time Klopp – now Red Bull’s global sports director – had attempted to sign Elliott, having previously played a key role in bringing him to Liverpool in 2019.
Back then, Elliott joined from Fulham for a nominal fee of £4.3 million as a 16-year-old, becoming Liverpool’s second-youngest debutant in the club’s history in an EFL Cup tie against MK Dons.
Elliott broke into Klopp’s first team in the 2021/22 season, starting each of the club’s first three Premier League matches. However, a dislocated ankle suffered during a 3-0 win over Leeds hampered his progress, and he was largely limited to bit-part roles afterward.
In Klopp’s final season at Liverpool, Elliott made his most appearances for the club in a single campaign (53), contributing four goals and 14 assists across all competitions.
Most of those appearances came as an impact substitute rather than a regular starter, something Klopp later admitted he regretted.
“It’s not that I go back and think, ‘OK, what did we all do wrong?’ But if I regret one thing a little bit, it’s that Harvey didn’t play often enough, maybe,” Klopp said in May 2024.
“Because in a very important, intense period – January, with a lot of injuries – he played really well. He was probably our best player – right wing, right midfield, all these kinds of things.
“Then everybody came back, and he had minutes here, minutes there, and he didn’t start anymore.”
That a manager of Klopp’s stature now wishes he had placed more trust in Elliott speaks volumes about the young midfielder’s quality and temperament at such an early stage in his career.
Perhaps that’s why Leipzig were so keen to sign him earlier this summer.
For whatever reason, the move didn’t materialise – giving Villa the chance to step in and secure a deal for the 22-year-old instead.
Elliott joins Villa on an initial loan, with a £35 million obligation to buy agreed between the two clubs, making him a permanent addition to Unai Emery’s squad at the end of the season.
Will Elliott make his Villa debut next weekend? Tell us here
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