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Harvey Elliott has been urged to have a serious discussion with Arne Slot about his future at Liverpool.
As transfer deadline day approaches, former Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray claimed the "elephant in the room" for Elliott is that his route into the first team is being obstructed by the Reds' star player, Mohamed Salah.
Elliott's future has been uncertain this summer, with the 22-year-old facing reduced playing time under Slot compared to his predecessor, Jurgen Klopp. He made only 18 Premier League appearances last season during Slot's maiden title-winning campaign, mainly as a substitute, which confirmed his status as a bench player under the Dutch manager.
His situation has piqued the interest of other clubs regarding his potential availability, with both West Ham and RB Leipzig reportedly keen on securing the services of the attacking midfielder. The Bundesliga club are rumored to see him as a replacement for Xavi Simons, who signed for Tottenham this week.
Liverpool will reportedly turn down any late offers for the playmaker in the remaining days of the window. However, the player is likely to be dissatisfied with his limited involvement so far this season.
He has played just seven minutes of football: six minutes in the Community Shield loss to Crystal Palace and only one minute against Newcastle, where he was involved in the build-up to Rio Ngumoha's last-minute winner.
Mowbray, who briefly managed Elliott during his loan spell at Blackburn in 2020/21, is confident about the player's abilities. The 61-year-old feels that Elliott needs to be playing regular football at Liverpool; otherwise, he should express his desire for a move away to Slot.
Asked whether the winger should leave on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Mowbray replied: “If I was going to advise Harvey, I would say he needs to talk to his manager. I think it’s a waste of talent, sitting on the bench. I watched the game against Newcastle and I saw he came on right at the death there.
“He’s an amazing talent. He’s got unbelievable quality. He’s one of these lads that doesn’t have to look at the ball, he knows what he’s doing - the ball’s a part of him. It’s so easy for him. He impacts the game every time he comes onto the pitch.”
Mowbray pointed out Elliott's biggest issue, stating: “The problem for him is that his best position is probably off the right in the attacking area, which is also Mo Salah’s best position. So there’s a huge elephant in the room for him, really. He might be thinking, ‘How long is Salah going to stay?’
“He’s got a personality as well. I think he’s got a winning mentality. It’s a big, big call for him, what’s next. The years start rolling by and it’s okay being a bit-part player at Liverpool but… maybe he’s waiting for Salah to move on, I don’t know.”
Another former Premier League manager, Sam Allardyce, added: “He should know whether the manager fancies him or not. It’s not difficult. He needs to balance out how much he played for Jurgen Klopp and how much he’s going to play for Slot.
“If being a squad player’s good enough for him and he wants to stay at Liverpool, fine. If it’s not good enough for him, the games he’s going to play between now and the January transfer window should tell him whether he should be staying at Liverpool or whether he should leave.”
Elliott earlier this summer starred for the England U-21s, winning the European Championship for a second time and securing the player of the tournament award.
He has since been candid about his situation at Liverpool, revealing to The Anfield Wrap whilst on tour in Asia: "If I had it my way I would be here for the rest of my career, it's as simple as that.
"I love everything about the club, but at the same time I kind of need to be selfish and see what's best for me. I have big ambitions. I want to get in the World Cup squad. I want to keep being successful as a player. It's something I still need to review."
A transfer to RB Leipzig would see Elliott reunited with former Liverpool manager Klopp, who now serves as Red Bull's head of global football. Following his departure from Liverpool last summer, Klopp confessed his sole regret from his final season was not affording Elliott enough playing time, saying: "But if I regret one thing a little bit, it's that Harvey didn't play often enough maybe.
"Because in a very important, intense period – January, a lot of injuries - he played really good. He was probably our best player, right wing, right midfield, all these kinds of things."
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