Harvey Elliott has left the door open to leave Liverpool this summer but stressed that “this is my team” and he is committed to ensuring his futures lies at Anfield.
Elliott has played an important part in Liverpool’s season, but despite featuring 24 times in all competitions so far the midfielder has been restricted to just four starts.
He is yet to start in the Premier League under Arne Slot and only has four chances to do so before the campaign is up.
That has led to speculation over a summer transfer, with Liverpool’s stance – according to the Telegraph‘s Chris Bascombe – being that they are not actively looking to sell but understand he could consider his options.
In an interview with the Liverpool Echo around Sunday’s title win, Elliott clarified his own position over a possible exit.
“I hope that I can push on. This is my team, I am committed to them,” he insisted.
“It’s just a situation that is always going to have a lot of talk, I just need to think about what is best for my future, my career and as much as I want it to be here.
“You never know what is going to happen around the corner.
“If I had it my way, that would be here, I would play each and every game here and stay here for the rest of my career but it all depends on managers, the people above and as I said you don’t know what could happen.
“But as far as I am aware I am here, here to stay and this is the club I want to be at.
“Hopefully I am still here to be honest. It is the best place to be, the best club to be at and especially having the fans around us at the moment, I don’t think there is a better place to be playing.
“Players go through ups and downs but at the end of the day you have to come out fighting and I think it is within myself to make it happen.
“So hopefully I can stay here for the rest of my career.”
Elliott has made it clear, then, that his preference would be to stay at Liverpool, but his desire to be a “permanent starter” could force a frank conversation with Slot.
“I think it’s been a lot more difficult for me because I obviously had that injury at the start,” he said of his first season under a new coach.
“But at the same time, you need to be here for the team, work as hard as you can and when the opportunities come on the pitch [take them].
“A lot of times this season it’s almost been [coming on] when we’ve been losing or drawing, so it is about trying to change the game, try and turn it around and have a positive impact.
“But, you know, any minutes for Liverpool are amazing.”
Federico Chiesa (395) is the only senior outfielder to clock fewer minutes on the pitch than Elliott (651) this season, but like Wataru Endo (762), the youngster is clearly a player Slot still appreciates.
Whether that will develop into a regular starting role remains to be seen, but one thing that is not in doubt is the commitment of one boyhood supporter to the club.
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