Liverpool hit the jackpot with £4m man now worth more than Jota & Salah

Arne Slot will take the reins at Liverpool in a matter of days, and while he will have to work with Michael Edwards and Co to resolve contractual situations concerning Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, there is simply so much talent at the Dutchman’s disposal.

One of the other, most pressing, concerns, is that of Darwin Nunez, who has been widely criticised for his wasteful finishing and his perceived conduct during the final weeks of the campaign.

Luckily, Liverpool have some of the finest finishers in the Premier League in Diogo Jota and the above-mentioned Salah, with the former actually ranking among the top 1% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for non-penalty goals scored per 90, as per FBref.

But there is indeed a superabundance of talent, with perhaps none as exciting as Harvey Elliott, who is starting to show signs that he can become one of Europe’s pre-eminent playmakers.

Harvey Elliott’s rise under Jurgen Klopp

The Anfield outfit signed Elliott from Fulham as a 16-year-old in 2019 and ultimately paid a tribunal fee of just over £4m, half of what the Cottagers had hoped to collect for the sale of their prized youngster.

Now aged 21, the England U21 star is on the cusp of a prominent role for Liverpool and has enjoyed incremental growth that now showcases the finest aspects of his creativity and technical prowess in midfield.

*Elliott was on loan in the Championship with Blackburn Rovers during the 2020/21 season

In one of his final press conferences as Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp admitted that if he regrets “one thing” about his tenure on Merseyside, it’s that he didn’t play Elliott enough, with the talented midfielder actually scoring a wondrous goal against Tottenham Hotspur and supplying three assists across the final three Premier League matches of the German’s reign.

Moreover, the £40k-per-week ace ranks among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 3% for shot-creating actions, the top 6% for progressive passes and the top 3% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref.

Slot must be licking his lips at the prospect of wielding such a talent at the dawn of his stewardship at Anfield, with Elliott’s market value now having skyrocketed to reflect his standing in the Liverpool squad.

Harvey Elliott’s market value in 2024

Back in December, Elliott bemoaned his ‘super-sub’ tag and spoke of his desire to cement a role of higher import. Well, while there is much work still to do, the diminutive midfielder has demonstrated his quality is fit for purpose at the centre of a Liverpool team chasing honours and lasting success.

He started five of Klopp’s final six matches and is certainly one of the most talented young players in the Premier League, with his market value indeed now corroborating the praise of The Athletic’s James Pearce for his “special talent.”

Indeed, according to CIES Football Observatory’s player appraisal system, Elliott is currently marked with a transfer valuation of £51m, which actually places him higher than some of Liverpool’s most talented stars, including the aforementioned Salah and Jota – the pair deemed to be worth £34m apiece.

Salah is approaching his 32nd year and his Portuguese counterpart is stifled by incessant injuries that mar his wonderful attacking ability, but there’s little question that Elliott is on the rise to the top, currently eclipsing the initial outlay to bring him to Anfield with a 1086% rise.

Much is changing at Liverpool but with young guns such as Elliott pushing for a place at the top, the club is in good hands indeed.