Very few people can question Liverpool Manager Arne Slot’s tactics or personnel choices this season.
The Dutchman arrived last summer and won the Premier League against Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta on his first attempt.
Despite this, young Englishman Harvey Elliott is one player some Liverpool fans feel has been underutilised.
Elliott, a young attacking midfielder, featured much more heavily under predecessor Jürgen Klopp in the 2023/2024 season.
In this player analysis, we will complete a scout report on Harvey Elliott style of play.
We will analyse why he may be ill-suited to the new Liverpool under Arne Slot and explain why he could be a bargain purchase for clubs looking to improve ahead of the next Premier League Season.
Harvey Elliott Player Profile
Harvey Elliott is a 5-foot-7, left-footed attacking midfielder.
He weighs approximately 67 kg and has a relatively small build compared to other players of a similar stature.
He typically plays best drifting inside and cutting in onto his strong left foot.
As such, he thrives in a right-sided central-midfielder role or as a central-attacking midfielder behind the striker.
He has also been used as a winger, primarily for Blackburn Rovers, although he potentially lacks the speed required for this position at the top level.
Harvey Elliott Heat Map
Elliott has a relatively unique profile in that he lacks the typical speed and physicality of the majority of Premier League attack-minded players.
Instead, his strengths lie in his intricacy and technicality.
He has impressive close control of the football and the ability to thread tight passes to break opposition lines.
Harvey Elliott Vs Dominik Szoboszlai
As mentioned above, this season has been disappointing for Elliott despite his club’s huge success.
Injuries heavily disrupted the first half of the season, and the first XI gelled together in his absence, with Dominik Szoboszlai cementing his place in the same position.
There have been plenty of opportunities for minutes since, but Slot does not trust Elliott wholeheartedly, and minutes have been sparse since his return.
He has been granted just 189 minutes in the Premier League, compared to 1,135 last season.
After an impressive final year under Klopp, many have been asking why this diminished responsibility has occurred.
The best way to understand this is to examine the contributions of his replacement.
Dominik Szoboszlai Scout Report
Szoboszlai has contributed tremendously to Slot’s Liverpool this season, potentially in ways that would not be viewed as Elliott’s forte.
Whilst his attacking offerings can’t be understated, with 10 goal contributions, statistically, it is his defensive work that stands out.
He presses very aggressively in the attacking and midfield thirds and competes in a high number of duels for his position and profile.
Dominik Szoboszlai Radar Map
Szoboszlai also wins an impressive percentage of his aerial duels and contributes successfully to defending set pieces and long balls from the opposition.
These defensive contributions are a requirement of the role that Slot has recognised.
Liverpool’s two most creative outlets are Salah and Alexander-Arnold, both highly attacking-minded.
As a result, both lack typical defensive responsibilities, so part of the midfield role is to help cover this flank.
Furthermore, Liverpool want to play a high-pressing game, with an emphasis on recovery and retention.
This requires good pressers in the midfield trio, which they have lacked slightly in recent years.
Counter-Pressing Stats By Player For All Big 5 Leagues
Whilst this may seem to imply work ethic issues for Elliott, he is, unsurprisingly, a very hard worker and is willing to press and track his men when required.
However, he does lack Szoboszlai’s physical profile.
He is undoubtedly less physically suited to this role, lacking strength and speed over large distances.
This makes it harder for him to follow men and compete successfully in duels, rendering him less effective at defending in the current system.
Harvey Elliott Radar Map
This is likely to continue limiting his game time in the future, and therefore, a move may now be best for all parties.
That being said, he will be a brilliant pick-up for Premier League teams, to whom he could be better suited.
Below, I will review his profile and explain why I believe his benefits significantly outweigh his shortcomings.
Harvey Elliott Creativity
Elliott is a very creative footballer and ranks very highly in terms of expected assists when compared to other Premier League midfielders.
Elliott comes alive around the penalty area and can cut open defences through numerous different methods.
In the 2023/2024 season, compared to other under-25s in the Premier League, Elliott ranked first for key passes and sixth for assists (both per 90).
In particular, Elliott excels in this area due to his propensity for crossing and passing.
He often looks to cross when cutting in from the right wing and tends to float crosses into his man with pinpoint accuracy.
Unlike many modern wingers who prefer to fire the ball into dangerous areas, he much prefers to select a clear target and focus on the accuracy of his delivery.
This approach paid dividends numerous times last season, a late equaliser at Luton Town being just one example.
In closer, more central areas, he consistently threads tight passes through opposition lines with the correct weight for his target to run onto.
This season, he has often come on against extremely compact teams late in games, where their sole objective is defending a lead.
This has limited his effectiveness.
However, in games where space opens up, Elliott is extremely dangerous and can create at will.
He has showcased this side of his game in more transitional situations and also in more open competitions.
Elliott was the side’s top creator for Blackburn Rovers, finishing with 11 assists.
Last season, Elliott averaged 2.29 passes into the penalty area and 7.92 progressive passes in the Premier League per 90, ranking very highly among his peers.
He also managed four assists in 10 games in the 2023/2024 UEFA Europa League and four assists in 7 games in the UEFA U21 European Championship Qualifiers.
Harvey Elliott Vision
In addition to his exceptional technical abilities, Elliott also possesses top-level vision, enabling him to spot opportunities that others may overlook.
Being able to see potential routes to goal ahead of others is a brilliant asset, as it not only allows the pass to be seen but also allows execution before the opposition is aware.
This means they are often unorganised and, consequently, unable to adapt, which inhibits their ability to defend the chance.
Having a creator who can recognise opportunities like the one above is invaluable.
Manchester City have been unstoppable in recent years because they have a large number of these players.
Many mid-table Premier League sides would benefit hugely from having this type of profile, as they can decide games at any moment.
Harvey Elliott Shooting Ability
Elliott has not been a prolific goalscorer thus far, but he has proven he has great finishing range and the composure to implement.
Most obviously, he has a dangerous long shot and is able to score from outside the 18-yard box.
This is beneficial when teams look to sit deep, as it forces men out of position to close him down, creating gaps in the defensive lines.
He has consistently demonstrated this long-range ability in high-pressure games throughout his career.
He scored a brilliant goal into the far corner away at Old Trafford, and the pick of the bunch came in a demolition of Spurs at Anfield.
Goalscoring is definitely an element of his game that he can still improve upon, as his record is far from exceptional.
The traits and capabilities are all there, however, and it may come down to an element of confidence and willingness to take responsibility that he has yet to fully welcome at Liverpool.
When asked to take on more goalscoring responsibility, he has stood up.
For England U21, he has recently scored seven goals in seven games in the UEFA U21 European Championship Qualifiers.
This record shows his potential, and under the right manager and system, I believe goals could be the next big step in developing his profile.
Harvey Elliott Dribbling
Finally, another weapon in the youngster’s arsenal is his ball-carrying and dribbling ability.
The Fulham Academy graduate is a progressive carrier.
His close footwork allows him to escape tight areas and move past challengers.
This element of his game was more successful under the previous regime, and it comes alive during the transition.
However, this is not Slot’s typical game plan.
He is an asset when it comes to collecting deep and driving forward with the ball.
Despite lacking amazing speed, his game understanding and technical excellence make him very challenging to win the ball from.
In this aspect, he is stylistically similar to Bernardo Silva or Martin Ødegaard, who both lack pace yet dominate tight areas and excel in ball progression.
Whilst the eye test clearly shows this dribbling ability, the data also supports it.
Last season, Elliott averaged a very impressive 2.23 carries into the final third and 3.01 progressive carries per 90.
Harvey Elliott Experience
At just 22 years of age, Elliott has already racked up just under 200 senior appearances.
These games include Championship battles, Champions League knockouts, FA Cup finals and Premier League Title deciders.
He has played alongside Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk, and been managed by Jürgen Klopp and Arne Slot.
This experience is invaluable at such a young age and will unquestionably help him throughout his career.
He already demonstrates veteran-level game intelligence and possesses a level of calmness and composure that few youngsters exhibit.
However, he now needs consistent game time as a starter.
The next stage in his career is to go from a supporting act to the main man himself, which is not achievable as a substitute.
He may be determined to fight for his spot at his boyhood club, but this may be ill-advised.
Liverpool have just re-signed Mo Salah for two more years.
They also appear determined to strengthen their attacking areas, and even in the current squad, it seems that Szoboszlai has pushed too far ahead in his fight for the attacking midfield spot.
As discussed above, playing a bit-part role may diminish his responsibility on the field and encourage a safe, more pragmatic approach to his play.
It’s now time to move away from this and grow into the creative asset he has the potential to be.
I would imagine there would be many suitors fighting for his signature come the summer window, if so.
Harvey Elliott Weaknesses
For all Elliott’s strength and talent as a young player, his game still has limitations that require coaching.
Firstly, his off-the-ball play can be limited, as mentioned above.
Whilst he is a hard worker, he is reasonably ineffective due to his lack of height or speed.
He is poor in the air, winning just 20% of his aerial duels, and may struggle in a side that demands a lot of physicality and strength from all its players.
He would certainly suit a more technical side that offers freedom and flexibility in its approach.
Had he developed into a winger, his physicality would have also hindered him on the ball, but his trajectory into more central areas has reduced this limitation.
Secondly, and arguably more importantly, he can be relatively one-sided in his play; he currently has a strong tendency to cut inside on his left foot.
While effective, this makes his play much more predictable and easy to defend.
Developing his ability to go down the right-hand side would make him a much bigger threat.
The statistics show that he is dispossessed more often than the average footballer, and this would improve if he became more flexible in his decision-making.
His weak right foot definitely requires improvement, and resolving this limitation could be the difference between his development as a good or great Premier League talent.
Conclusion
Harvey Elliott is an up-and-coming midfielder who excels in technical skills and thrives in close areas—he may even have the potential to be elite.
With such extensive experience at a young age, it will be exciting to see his career develop and flourish.
However, for his potential to be truly realised, it now seems this is the right time for him to leave Liverpool.
Elliott does not suit the central attacking midfield role in Slot’s system due to his defensive and physical limitations.
He will also not fit the right-wing position, and game time will therefore remain very limited.
A team that places less emphasis on pressing and defensive work rate would allow him to thrive and would utilise his huge creative abilities.
This summer will present him with all the opportunities he needs, and a move to a mid-table Premier League club could truly have the makings of a rare but possible win-win deal for all parties.
