​One player at Liverpool could already be celebrating Andoni Iraola’s arrival as head coach at Anfield. To put it mildly, Harvey Elliott’s 2025/26 season was a write-off. He joined Aston Villa on an initial loan with a view to a permanent move, but managed just nine appearances in total for Unai Emery’s side, who chose not to sign him outright. The 23-year-old has since returned to his parent club, now under a manager who seems far more prepared to give him a genuine chance than Arne Slot ever did.
In Iraola’s introductory press conference as Liverpool boss on Monday, he was asked whether he could envisage Elliott fitting into his plans at Anfield after the stint at Villa Park. The Basque coach replied (via the Liverpool Echo): “Definitely! Harvey is here with us. I have seen him show the eagerness to arrive and get fully prepared. He’ll have a chance in pre-season. We’ll need him, and that’s a good sign. I hope we can see him in a good place. I think Harvey comes from a season that was difficult for him. It was a strange situation; they couldn’t even play him, and I think he can use that experience—the tough times—to make himself even more motivated to be a Liverpool player.”
Iraola’s openness about integrating Elliott into his squad stands in stark contrast to how Slot managed public discussions about the player throughout the 2025/26 campaign. Slot frequently deflected questions by telling reporters to “ask Aston Villa” instead, a retreat that did little to bolster Elliott’s standing and did nothing to quell the growing scrutiny on his management amid Liverpool’s poor results. While Slot may not have directly caused Emery’s decision to sideline Elliott, the absence of public support for a player still on Liverpool’s books strained the club’s image and left Elliott vulnerable during a season that tested his resolve.
With Iraola clearly signaling a willingness to give Elliott a fair opportunity, the ex-Fulham forward now has a genuine chance to reintroduce himself to the Liverpool fanbase and to prove his worth on the field. The pre-season tour to the United States offers an ideal audition window. It could be the stage for Elliott to stake a claim for a regular starting berth when the new campaign begins, particularly as several big-name Liverpool players take a break after the World Cup. A strong performance in the friendlies could set the tone for Iraola’s approach to integrating Elliott into his long-term plans.
pundits, including Paul Gorst, suggested in June that Elliott could become one of the summer’s standout redemption stories if Iraola grants him his chance and the forward takes full advantage. The onus, however, remains clearly on Elliott to make his case to his new boss. He arguably did not deserve to be cast aside by Slot and Emery last season, and there is every reason to believe he will arrive in 2026/27 with renewed motivation to play a leading role for Liverpool, hoping to leave his previous two coaches rueful about their decision not to back him. This is a pivotal moment for Elliott: the chance to transform his narrative, reclaim a spot at Anfield, and demonstrate that his career trajectory can still ascend under a manager ready to give him a fair shake.