Harvey Elliott (signed on loan)

[Somniloquism]

Midfielder Harvey Elliott's wasted loan at Aston Villa is "embarrassing for everyone involved", says manager Unai Emery.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cdxp0dwe1nno

[DB]

Saw that, prob the nail in the coffin for Monchi that deal.

[LeeS]

A year lost and maybe one of only a few chances to play in a World Cup.

[brontebilly]

And watching Guessand, Sancho and Bailey stink it out ahead of him. While stuck on the bench a lot of the time with little or no chance to come on. The mental torment alone must have been horrendous, including those token EL appearances. Must be the only Villa player, soon to be ex player, that I hope goes on and proves the club wrong.

[Sexual Ealing]

Mental torment?! He gets to do fuck all at work. Tone it down.

[brontebilly]

Mental torment?! He gets to do fuck all at work. Tone it down.

Most footballers, Sancho, Nzogbia types excepted, get to and stay at that level by being hard workers. That Elliot has to go through this charade each week has to be horrendous.

[Sexual Ealing]

He's still being paid. He'll cope.

[Dave]

He's still being paid. He'll cope.

He's probably not going to be chucking himself off a bridge anytime soon, no.

But if you're thought of as one of the best young players in the world, you're 22, there's a World Cup happening a year later, and you're fit, healthy and ready to finally be a first-choice player for a big side - and you end up sitting at home for the whole season due to other people being shit at their admin, that's a uniquely bleak situation for someone in his profession.

[pauliewalnuts]

Unai is right, it is absolutely embarassing on our part.

I don't care about Liverpool's part in this, I don't give a shit, they're Liverpool, they're supposed to be embarassing, but this is one of the most bizarre transfer deals ever, and no doubt this will be what did for Monchi.

[eamonn]

We derided his spaghetti hair at the time but I'd be glad to see it bounce around the pitch at this point. Give him a swansong at Citeh.

[pauliewalnuts]

Actually, thinking about the hair challenge, fuck him, some things are unacceptable.

[Sexual Ealing]

He's still being paid. He'll cope.

He's probably not going to be chucking himself off a bridge anytime soon, no.

But if you're thought of as one of the best young players in the world, you're 22, there's a World Cup happening a year later, and you're fit, healthy and ready to finally be a first-choice player for a big side - and you end up sitting at home for the whole season due to other people being shit at their admin, that's a uniquely bleak situation for someone in his profession.

Yes, it's definitely shit for him. We've fucked him over. I just thought 'mental torture' was a bit strong. If sitting on the bench on a few million a year is mental torture, what language do we have left for people enduring, y'know, mental torture? This is how we end up with mildly indolent, not as good as we thought footballers being called 'cancers' or 'parasites' (normally by the same bloke, actually!). It's not healthy.

[Sexual Ealing]

Actually, thinking about the hair challenge, fuck him, some things are unacceptable.

Also true.