Elliott savours 'incredible' feeling

Harvey Elliott is relishing the opportunity to play for Aston Villa after wrapping up a Deadline Day switch.

The 22-year-old completed an initial season-long loan deal from Liverpool, where he’s won six honours during six years with The Reds.

Elliott will now get the chance to show his class at Villa Park, with plenty to look forward to in the coming months. 

“It feels incredible,” he told VillaTV.

“First and foremost, I want to thank everyone for making this happen. Playing for a massive club like Aston Villa is every kid’s dream.

“I’m very happy that it’s over the line now, and I can’t wait to get started.”

During his time on Merseyside, Elliott made 149 appearances, scoring and creating goals domestically and in Europe.

He’s also fresh from starring in England’s Under-21 European Championship win in the summer, and the attacking midfielder’s keen to be a key contributor in B6.

Elliott said: “For me now, it’s about kicking on as a player.

“The only way to do that is to play games and there’s no better place to do that than here, especially with the manager, his philosophy, the way he plays and his trust in younger players.

"Not only that, his personal achievements as well, I was very drawn to it. I had a conversation with him and was blown away by the way he was towards me and how welcoming he was to me before I was an Aston Villa player. It made me want it a little bit more.

“Coming to Villa Park, you see how passionate the fans are, how well drilled the team is, it’s really hard to play against. Having the opportunity to be part of it, I couldn’t say no.

“I’m just delighted to be here.”

As Elliott alluded to, manager Unai Emery was a pivotal part of bringing him to the club.

A bond was quickly struck between the two, with Elliott excited by the prospect of working under the Spaniard.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” he said.

“He was very welcoming and what he had to say me before I was even a Villa player took my heart and it was feeling I had within myself that I wanted to be here and I wanted to play for him.

“I want to give my all for him as a coach and as a person for giving me trust and allowing me to come here to a massive club when he could have got many players around the world.

“The only way I can repay him is by working as hard as I can and leaving everything out on the pitch for him.”