Liverpool's one-time 'best player' was DESPERATE for January return

A player once labelled Liverpool's 'best' was desperate for a return to Anfield in January. The Reds rejected it.

Liverpool had some big decisions to make in January. Ultimately, they decided to do nothing - the squad remains near-identical to how it was back on December 31st.

We say 'near' because the Reds have technically dropped a player. Conor Bradley was a part of things when the window opened but has since been ruled out for the season with a knee injury.

But even that didn't convince Liverpool to find someone. Admittedly, they did try and incredibly difficult deal for Lutsharel Geertruida that involved negotiating with two clubs right before the deadline but when that broke down, they never sought an alternative.

And the club even rejected the chance to bring back a player essentially for free. One who was desperate to do so.

Harvey Elliott remains stuck

Liverpool sent Harvey Elliott on loan to Aston Villa at the start of the season. But not after playing him for one minute on the opening day of the season.

That minute has completely screwed up his season, too. A clause in the loan agreement means Villa must buy Elliott if he plays 10 times, but they quickly decided that they don't want to do that.

The result is Elliott playing just six times before the January window closed. We imagine he'll feature three more times, in all honesty.

Liverpool were unable to cancel the loan with Villa and send him elsewhere. Regulations prevent players from featuring for three clubs in the same calendar season, with that one minute counting towards that.

Thus the only options for Elliott were to head out to the Americas, where most countries play on a different calendar. Understandably, he didn't want to uproot his life for six months of downgraded football.

The other option was for Elliott to return to Liverpool and play the rest of the season there. It's an option that does make sense, given the Reds' depleted squad and lack of cover at right-wing.

This is a player Jurgen Klopp hailed as the 'best player' at the club for a period of his final season. But Liverpool said no.

The Athletic reports that Elliot actively wanted to return to Liverpool and hoped an agreement would be reached. But Villa would need to pay a fee for terminating the loan early - they weren't willing to do that. The Reds weren't willing to waive it, either.

The result? An embarrassing situation for everyone. Elliott loses a year of his career so neither club loses a bit of money.