Harvey Elliott

[growler]

https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/401100-harvey-elliott-signs-first-professional-contract-with-lfc
 

now he’s signed this, surely deserves his own thread. (Think he deserved one after the Kane video)

[Cobs]

He’s my favourite player

[kop205]

12 minutes ago, growler said:

 (Think he deserved one after the Kane video)

The one where he used an offensive term about people with Down's Syndrome?

I imagine he's glad it wasn't started then to be honest.

 

Edited July 6, 2020 by kop205

[growler]

Wasn’t alive for 2003 league cup winvs the mancs. Gerrard and Owen scored. 

[Falconhoof]

I wonder what Harvey Elliot eats. 
A food diary would be helpful for the fans.

[Hassony]

14 minutes ago, Falconhoof said:

I wonder what Harvey Elliot eats. 
A food diary would be helpful for the fans.

Coco pops for breakfast 

[Aritro]

He's too old for Academy football next year isn't he?  Which might mean he'll be playing faux-reserves footie every two weeks?

Should go on loan for the season in that case.

 

 

[mofus77]

2 hours ago, Aritro said:

He's too old for Academy football next year isn't he?  Which might mean he'll be playing faux-reserves footie every two weeks?

Should go on loan for the season in that case.

 

 

Or he could be playing first team football?

[Aritro]

1 hour ago, mofus77 said:

Or he could be playing first team football?

I'd say there's no chance he'll get more than a handful of appearances, if that.  At this stage, from what I've seen, he's got less to offer against top opposition than pretty much every senior midfielder we've got.  And we might be strengthening midfield over the off-season anyway.

He's much better off playing 30-40 games somewhere else than playing half-pace games in our Under-23s.

[Hightown Phil]

3 minutes ago, Aritro said:

I'd say there's no chance he'll get more than a handful of appearances, if that.  At this stage, from what I've seen, he's got less to offer against top opposition than pretty much every senior midfielder we've got.  And we might be strengthening midfield over the off-season anyway.

He's much better off playing 30-40 games somewhere else than playing half-pace games in our Under-23s.

He isn't a midfielder.

[kop205]

I still just have this thing that nobody we've sent out on loan has come back to have a good career with us, as far as I can remember.

Think Murphy went back to Crewe for a bit maybe?

I know it isn't exactly a hard and fast rule but we do seem to prefer to keep hold of the lads we really rate.

[Aritro]

3 minutes ago, Hightown Phil said:

He isn't a midfielder.

Righto, he's a winger then?  I stand corrected.

Either way, I doubt he's getting a game for us next season.

Edited July 7, 2020 by Aritro

[Leo No.8]

I think he has the potential to be involved from the bench. One of his main attributes is his vision, he can see a pass many can’t and that could be useful in a game when we need a goal. He’s a huge talent I think.

Edited July 7, 2020 by Leo No.8

[Aritro]

1 minute ago, kop205 said:

I still just have this thing that nobody we've sent out on loan has come back to have a good career with us, as far as I can remember.

Think Murphy went back to Crewe for a bit maybe?

I know it isn't exactly a hard and fast rule but we do seem to prefer to keep hold of the lads we really rate.

We've had two Academy kids become first choice first-team players since Steven Gerrard.  We've just had hardly anyone have a good career with us full stop to be fair.

 

[muleskinner]

Think he will be involved next season.  They make a big deal out of him, much more than any other of the young lads. 

[Billy Talbot]

IF we sell Origi (which is a bit of a big IF) and IF we don't sign another forward (which is another big IF considering the two are pretty interlinked), it'll be him and Brewster on the bench and getting minutes. I think if we get a decent offer we will sell Origi. 

 

 

 

 

[growler]

Given his age, he’ll learn a lot more from playing with our front 3 and against our back 4. Can’t see him going on loan yet. 

[growler]

article in 

 

 

Harvey Elliott has only suffered one bout of nerves since signing for Liverpool.

The prospect of performing in front of a capacity crowd at Anfield never held any fears for the talented teenage winger but being centre stage in the intimate surroundings of Hotel Royal in Evian-les-Bains in front of a much smaller audience was a different matter.

“When it’s football-related, there are no nerves at all for me. There’s nothing to be nervous about when you are doing what you love, playing for the club you love,” he tells The Athletic. “I only get anxious about silly stuff like having to get up and sing in front of all the lads and the staff for my initiation at the training camp in Evian last pre-season. Now that was pressure!

“I did Let Me Love You by Mario. To be fair, I thought it went all right but the lads didn’t seem to agree. Judging by their feedback, I don’t think I’ll have a singing career. I’ve stuck to football since then.”

To mark the launch of Liverpool’s new kit deal with Nike, Elliott sat down with The Athletic for his first major interview to look back on an historic debut season for him at Anfield following his move from Fulham and to discuss his hopes for the future.

The 17-year-old England youth international, who signed a three-year professional contract last month, made eight senior appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side in 2019-20. He was part of the jubilant celebrations that followed the end of Liverpool’s 30-year wait for the title.

His Premier League winners’ medal is in his bedroom at home alongside the ones he collected from the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup triumphs.

“They are hanging up above my bed. I always have a look at them before I go to sleep,” he smiles. “It’s hard to put into words what this season has been like. There were so many different emotions, with the uncertainty over the virus and then the boys coming back to wrap up the title. The best part was being on that stage in the Kop when Hendo (Jordan Henderson) lifted the Premier League trophy. That feeling was amazing.

“It’s been an unbelievable first year for me. To top it off with three trophies and for me to be a part of that has been a dream come true — not only for me but for my family too.

“To be around the boys, just to see how much work and effort they put into training sessions to make sure they get the wins, just to be around the gaffer…. Every time I’ve seen him over the past year, I’ve just thought: ‘This is actually happening. Jurgen Klopp really is my manager’.”

Elliott was on a family holiday in Portugal following his GCSE exams in June 2019 when he first learned about Liverpool’s interest. The following day, he travelled with his dad Scott to Merseyside. Sporting director Michael Edwards gave them a tour of Melwood and Anfield.

He recalls: “I remember coming down for breakfast one morning and my dad saying, ‘Harvey, you better sit down’. He goes, ‘Liverpool are interested in you’.

“I started laughing to be honest. I didn’t believe him. I said ‘You’re lying’. He goes, ‘No. Honestly, I’m not. We’ve got to get on a plane tomorrow’.

“I still didn’t really believe it until I was actually in Liverpool and we walked into Melwood. From the first moment there, I just thought, ‘This is the place I want to be’.

“Seeing all the quotes on the walls from legends and all the photos and all that history; my mind was made up. I wanted to add to that great history. This is the club I’ve supported all my life.”

Elliott has the photos to prove it. He was just three years old when he sat on the Kop for the first time. His dad took him to the Champions League qualifier against Maccabi Haifa in August 2006 when Mark Gonzalez came off the bench to score a dramatic late winner.

Elliott in front of his father, Scott, in Kiev before the 2018 Champions League final (Photo credit: the Elliott family)

They travelled across the UK and Europe to follow Liverpool in the years that followed when the youngster’s own playing commitments allowed. They were in Kiev for the 2018 Champions League final when Klopp’s men were beaten by Real Madrid.

“As a little kid, I just remember the buzz of walking up the steps inside the stand at Anfield, seeing the lights and the players warming up — what a sight,” he says.

“My heroes were Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez. I loved watching them. My dad was a big fan of Fernando Torres and we had a big poster of him in the house.

“Me and my dad always tried to do as many away games as possible. We had to tell a few lies to the school and my mum along the way! ‘Make sure you get a nice hotel,’ she would say. The place where we stayed in Kiev in this rundown block of flats was horrendous.

“But that’s part of the fun of being a football fan: following your team wherever they go and the experiences you share with your friends and family. The result wasn’t great but the trip itself to Kiev was brilliant.”

Elliott became the youngest player in Premier League history when he came off the bench for Fulham against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the age of 16 years and 30 days in May 2019.

By then, his eye-catching performances at academy level ensured that a host of top clubs across Europe, including Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal, were trying to secure his services.

The Athletic revealed earlier this year how Elliott and his family had been given a tour of the Bernabeu as Real sought to convince him to move to the Spanish capital. They asked if he would like them to arrange for him to meet long-serving Real captain Sergio Ramos.

Elliott politely declined, explaining he wasn’t a fan of Ramos after he cynically took Mohamed Salah out of the 2018 Champions League final by dumping him on his shoulder. “Yeah, that’s true,” he laughs. “I turned it down because of what he did to Mo.”

As well as the emotional pull of Liverpool, there was a firm belief that Klopp’s willingness to put his faith in youth made Melwood the best possible place for him to continue his development.

His first training session with the squad at Melwood last July left a lasting impression on the senior professionals. Assistant manager Pep Lijnders told Klopp they had “a little diamond” on their hands.

“It was a bit surreal,” Elliott says. “A month or two earlier, I’d been sat watching these players on TV, cheering them on in the Champions League final against Tottenham. Suddenly, they are my team-mates. I was just staring around in amazement that I was actually there rather than really thinking about the session itself.

“We did a shooting drill and then a two-v-two — the quality was top-tier. It really opened my eyes to what I was coming into. Ever since that day, I’ve put in extra work to try to improve my fitness and guard against picking up injuries. I’ve had to adapt a lot.”

With the clubs unable to reach a compromise, a tribunal will soon decide on a fee for Elliott, with Fulham seeking around £7 million. Born in the town of Chertsey in Surrey, he will always feel a debt of gratitude to the London club for how they launched his career.

He was playing in Fulham’s under-18s at the age of 14 and gracing a Carabao Cup tie against Millwall aged 15 years and 174 days.

“They always tried to push me through the age groups and tried to get me to the furthest possible point,” he says. “Initially, I used to get smashed about everywhere by kids three or four years older than me. But stuff like that toughens you up. You learn how to protect the ball better, you learn when to dribble with it and when to pass. Your decision-making improves.

“I got used to playing against bigger opponents and that certainly helped me going into senior football. Going from Fulham to Liverpool was a big change. I had to get used to a different style of football and a higher level. I had to up my game a lot just to get close to these boys’ levels.”

He certainly isn’t short of positive role models at Melwood. James Milner, a teenage prodigy himself in the early 2000s, has taken him under his wing. The Liverpool vice-captain first played Premier League football for Leeds United at the age of 16 — five months before Elliott was even born.

“Millie has helped me a lot throughout the season. He’s someone I want to be like. I want to have a long career like him,” he says. “All us youngsters can learn so much from the likes of Millie and Hendo (Jordan Henderson); two experienced pros who always give 100 per cent every single day. They don’t drink and they’re always professional with how they lead their lives. You can see that in the great shape they’re in.

“They don’t just want to be the best they possibly can be themselves but they also want to get the best out of everyone around them. Every day, I learn something new.

“Adam Lallana helped me a lot and it was a shame to see him go. I’m usually in the gym at the same time as Sadio (Mane) and Mo, and they give me a lot of advice.

“If I’m doing a particular weight and it’s looking too easy, then Sadio or Mo will be over to push me with a different weight to make it harder. If I’m doing exercises with the band, they’ll be over to make sure my body is in the right position.”

Like Salah, Elliott loves to operate wide on the right and cut inside on to his favoured left foot. In training the day before games, he’s often tasked with trying to stop the flying Egyptian.

“Yeah, I play left-back against him,” he says. “The day before a match, we do play-outs from the back at Melwood. We analyse the way the opposition play and then us players who aren’t starting are asked to play out in the same way so the first team can get a feel of what it’s going to be like in the match the next day.

“I’m normally left-back for that. To be up against Mo and to see what he does, how he moves, the way in which he changes his speed; he’s world-class and so tricky to deal with. If I can keep up with Mo, then I know I’m doing OK! I look up to him a lot.”

Aged 16 years and 174 days, he became the second-youngest player in Liverpool’s history when Klopp handed him his debut away to MK Dons in the Carabao Cup last September.

The following month, he was walking out at Anfield for the first time in the next round against Arsenal. In early January, he took his Premier League bow for the club against Sheffield United and then helped a youthful line-up knock Everton out of the FA Cup.

When he dropped down to the under-23s to get game time, he scored with a stunning bicycle kick from a corner against Wolves in the Premier League International Cup.

“There have been so many highlights but I’d say my Anfield debut and the Merseyside derby were the best,” he says. “That was a crazy game against Arsenal, drawing 5-5 and then winning on penalties. To walk out to You’ll Never Walk Alone was a really big moment for me. The atmosphere was special.

“I got a lot of stick off the Everton fans in the derby but that made winning the game even sweeter. Stuff like that just drives me on to play better.

“I’ve kept the shirts from my different debuts and the Black Lives Matter one against Everton. But the rest I tend to give away as I want to give back to the fans in recognition of all the support they have shown me.”

Elliott, Jones and Williams, Liverpool’s next generation, pose with the Premier League trophy (Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Elliott has grown close to fellow teenagers Curtis Jones and Neco Williams, who also established themselves in the senior ranks in 2019-20. The trio are ably supported by Vitor Matos, the club’s elite development coach. He arrived from Porto last October and is the key link between the academy and Melwood.

“I don’t think Vitor gets enough praise for the work he’s done because he’s been a brilliant addition to the staff,” Elliott says. “He’s our go-to person when we are up there with the first team. If we have any problems or concerns, we can talk to him. When we drop down to the under-23s, he’s always on hand to help.

“He’s always putting on extra drills for us. Whether it’s shooting with my right foot or working my crossing, his input has been unbelievable.

“It’s great to share this journey with Curtis and Neco. In training and in the games, they have shown what they can do and what kind of people they are. They are both top young players, who have earned the trust of the gaffer with their performances. I’m delighted for them.

“We support each other. It’s nice to have boys around who are of a similar age. It helps in terms of confidence.”

What undoubtedly helped Elliott settle into life on Merseyside was the fact that his entire family moved up from Surrey. He lives in south Liverpool with dad Scott, mum Janine, sister Daniella and brother Harrison, who all attended the Premier League trophy presentation at Anfield.

Much of his spare time is spent with his French bulldog puppy Paisley, who is named after the legendary Liverpool manager.

“Having my family around has been massive,” he says. “They have sacrificed so much to get me to where I am today. What I achieve on the field is about giving something back to them. It’s one way of saying ‘thank you’ to them. They have put a lot into this.

“My little brother is a big Liverpool fan too and sometimes, he gets even more excited than me when he sees the players and goes to the games.

“When it was first announced that I was joining Liverpool, the profile went through the roof. I was thinking, ‘Wow, this is the world I’m coming into’. I had a taste of it with Fulham with all the talk around making my debut for them at such a young age but it’s different level at Liverpool.

“When I’m not playing football, I’m happiest just chilling at home or taking Paisley for a walk, or playing FIFA or watching Netflix.

“I still go out into the back garden with a ball with my little brother when I get back from training to work on things. I’m always trying to improve. But I know I have to be careful not to push myself too much as I’m still growing.”

It says much about Elliott’s mentality that he has decided to only take two of the three weeks off Klopp has granted his players. He intends to spend the final week training with the under-23s at Kirkby to ensure he’s in the best possible shape for when the senior squad reconvene at Melwood on August 15.

A record-breaking 2019-20 season gave him a taste of the big time and he can’t wait to continue his education under the guidance of the LMA manager of the year.

“Any player in the world would love to play for Jurgen Klopp, so I consider myself very fortunate,” he says. “It’s not just what he’s like on the field in terms of tactics but also what he’s like off the pitch with his man-management. He’s a lovely guy and a guy you want to play for.

“He’s always motivating you and challenging you to be the best you can be but you can also have a laugh and a joke with him. When it needs to be serious, he’s strict and bang on it.

“Jurgen and Pep are always telling me to play with freedom. There’s a tactical structure but they also want me to express myself when I’ve got the ball. Jurgen is such a positive coach. He’s not one who puts the blame on players. If you mess up, he just wants you to learn from what happened and he explains what you should do next time to avoid finding yourself in that situation.

“Of course, if you aren’t doing it, if you aren’t putting in the effort, he will have a word but he’s not one for b******ing players just for the sake of it.

“The hunger and desire in this squad is incredible. You only had to look at the disappointment on the faces after the defeat to Arsenal after the title was already won. There’s a winning culture here that helps everyone to realise their full potential.”

With revenues having taken a major hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a relatively quiet summer transfer window is expected at Anfield. Klopp has spoken about handing more opportunities to his young guns in 2020-21 and that’s music to the ears of Elliott.

“It gives us huge motivation,” he adds. “All of us youngsters want to prove to the gaffer and the coaching staff that we are good enough to play in this team. The challenge is massive as it’s a squad full of world-class players but you need to aim high.

“Winning the Premier League title; emotionally, it got to me. Seeing all the messages come through about what it means to people, it really makes you want to go and do it again and again.

“I know I need to keep developing and add more goals to my game if I’m going to achieve my target of being a legend at this club.”

The only thing that Klopp isn’t convinced about when it comes to Elliott is his hairstyle. When he scores his first senior goal for Liverpool, the youngster has vowed to ditch the man-bun.

“I’ve had it for about two years,” he says. “Whenever I tried to put it up at school, I got told off by the teachers. I couldn’t fight against the rules!
“It’s not a popular haircut. Some people think, ‘Why’s he got it like that?’ but I like it.

“I don’t think Jurgen’s a big fan. Sometimes I’ve come in with it tied up in a bit of a new style and he has just looked at it and started laughing.

“I’ve promised the lads that when I score my first professional goal, it’s coming off. Initially, I was going to change it for the new year but then I decided that if I was going to change it, I wanted it to be for something more memorable.

“Hopefully, I won’t have too long to wait. I can’t wait for next season to start.”

[muleskinner]

The Ramos story (may be considered a bit try hard by some) is great.

[Hassony]

Good interview that, seems to have great attitude 

[kop205]

1 hour ago, muleskinner said:

The Ramos story (may be considered a bit try hard by some) is great.

I reckoned it had urban myth written all over it but fair play to him, that is funny.

[cymrococh]

Love the idea of him playing left-back against Salah in the warm-up games.

[Bostonian]

Good interview,head screwed on properly for a kid,i was all over the place at his age.and that goal against wolves u-23's.

[New York Red]

Seems like a top kid.

The hair though...

[Leo No.8]

Proper boyhood red, must be incredible living his dream like that. I think he’s a a fantastic talent and hopefully with the commitment he seems to have he will be a top player for the club in the future.