Elliott Set to Remain at Villa Until Summer as Iling-Junior's Pisa Switch Nears Completion

Harvey Elliott's underwhelming spell at Aston Villa looks set to continue through to the summer, with the Liverpool loanee expected to remain at Villa Park despite barely getting a look-in under Unai Emery.

The talented midfielder arrived at Villa last summer as one of the season's marquee signings following a standout showing at the U21 European Championships. Liverpool included a £35m buy option in the deal, with the clause set to trigger automatically after ten appearances—a threshold that seemed comfortably within reach.

Reality, however, proved far less kind. Elliott managed just seven outings for the Midlands club before falling out of favour with Emery, leaving him stranded well short of the ten-game mark needed to make the transfer permanent. Early termination of his loan has been mooted, but the midfielder's hands are effectively tied. Having already featured for both Liverpool and Villa this season, European club regulations prevent him from joining another outfit on the continent.

With his options severely limited, BBC Sport reports that Elliott is now expected to stay put at Villa until the transfer window reopens in summer. It's a frustrating outcome for all parties—hardly the career trajectory the England midfielder envisioned when he departed Anfield in search of regular football.

Meanwhile, another Villa misfit is heading for the exit. Samuel Iling-Junior's loan spell at West Brom is set for termination on deadline day, with a return to Italian football imminent. The former Juventus winger has made 24 Championship appearances for the Baggies but has failed to replicate any consistency amid the chaos of the club's managerial merry-go-round.

Villa have grown sufficiently frustrated with how the loan arrangement has unfolded that they're preparing to cut it short. Pisa await in Serie A, offering Iling-Junior a fresh chance to reignite his career with another temporary move back to Italy.