Harvey Elliott's limited Villa minutes feature in list of worst Premier League era signings

TEAMtalk has compiled a list of what it deems Aston Villa's ten least successful signings since the club entered the Premier League, mixing long-forgotten flops with a very recent loan arrangement. The retrospective piece, published today, revisits several deals that failed to deliver at Villa Park across multiple managerial eras.

Among the historical names highlighted by the website are centre-back Bjorn Engels, who arrived for around £7 million in 2019 but managed only 19 appearances due to injuries, and winger Jota, signed from Birmingham City for £4 million that same year. Strikers Borja Baston and Libor Kozak also feature, with the latter noted for scoring just four goals in 22 matches after a £5 million move in 2013.

The most notable inclusion for current followers is Harvey Elliott, who spent last season on loan from Liverpool. TEAMtalk points out that the midfielder played only nine times across the campaign, accumulating 277 minutes in total. According to the outlet, a tenth appearance would have triggered an obligation for Villa to pay Liverpool £35 million.

The article suggests that Unai Emery selected Elliott for the first five matches he was available before restricting him to four further outings over the remainder of the season. The website frames this as a deliberate decision to ensure the permanent transfer clause was not activated, though no evidence beyond the appearance record is offered to support that interpretation.

Elliott returned to Liverpool at the end of the loan period, and the summer transfer window closed on 1 September without any further deal between the two clubs for the midfielder. Villa's next fixture is at home to Brentford on Saturday 10 October.