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Real Madrid rolled out the red carpet for Harvey Elliott.
There was a tour of the Bernabeu and their training ground complex as they sought to convince the youngest player to play in the Premier League to move to the Spanish capital last summer.
When they reached Sergio Ramos’ shirt, hanging up on the wall, Real’s charm offensive included an offer to arrange for the talented teenager to meet their long-serving captain.
“No, it’s OK, thanks,” Elliott replied. “I don’t like him after what he did to Mo Salah.”
It wasn’t the response his stunned hosts were expecting. A lifelong Liverpool fan, Elliott was in Kiev with his dad Scott a year earlier when Ramos cynically took Salah out of the 2018 Champions League final by dumping him on his shoulder. An audience with Ramos was never going to be a deal-clincher.
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Elliott in front of his father, Scott, in Kiev ahead of the 2018 Champions League final. Photo used with permission of the Elliott family.
Elliott had an array of top European clubs looking to secure his services after deciding to reject Fulham’s offer of a scholarship. As well as Real Madrid, there was interest from Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal among others.
However, when Liverpool made their move while he was on a family holiday in Portugal following his GCSE exams, it proved to be a game-changer. “It took me by surprise, I didn’t think it was true at the time,” Elliott has admitted.
There were more lucrative proposals on the table but the emotional pull of Anfield was huge. There was the cautionary tale of Norwegian youngster Martin Odegaard, who turned down Liverpool to go to Real Madrid at the age of 16 in 2015 and has made just one appearance for them in La Liga since. When they weighed everything up, it was felt that Melwood would be the best place for his development given Jurgen Klopp’s track record of putting his faith in youth.
A year on, it has proved to be a shrewd move for all parties. Elliott, who has already made seven senior appearances for Liverpool, has flourished on Merseyside, endearing himself to supporters and enhancing his status as one of the most gifted English players of his generation.
“An exceptional talent and a nice kid as well,” says Klopp. “It’s easy to be convinced about Harvey when you see him in training. He could have gone pretty much everywhere but he wanted to be part of Liverpool.”
Having turned 17 in April, he’s set to sign a three-year professional contract over the coming weeks. A tribunal has yet to decide on his transfer fee, with Fulham understood to be seeking around £7 million in compensation.
This is the story of his journey to Anfield and why Liverpool are so convinced he has all the attributes required to help ensure the trophies keep on coming.
It’s a precious family photo from Harvey Elliott’s first visit to Anfield. There he is sat on the Kop, holding up his Liverpool scarf with a big grin on his face. He was just three years old when his dad Scott, a lifelong fan, took him to the Champions League qualifier against Maccabi Haifa in August 2006. Mark Gonzalez came off the bench on his debut to score a dramatic late winner.
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(Photo: The Elliott family)
A love affair with Liverpool was underway as he gabbled excitedly about the atmosphere all the way home to Surrey. Shortly after, on a day out to Brighton Pier, his family first noticed his natural ability with a ball at his feet. One stall was offering prizes for kicking footballs through holes carved out in a wooden wall. The small boy’s accuracy was such that he walked away clutching a giant teddy.
Born in Chertsey, Elliott trained with Fulham but left at the age of eight to join the youth ranks at Queens Park Rangers. Speak to those coaches who worked with him and the same words keep on cropping up – driven, focused, dedicated, humble and gifted. He grew up idolising Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard.
There was never any danger of Elliott getting too big for his boots. During one game for QPR Under-10s away to Tottenham he scored nine and set up the other one in a 10-1 win. When he got in the car to go home, his dad wanted to talk about his role in Tottenham’s consolation after his son had allowed their winger to get in behind him.
“When I first watched Harvey in a game he did OK but the next day in training he blew me away with his talent,” Scott Chickelday, his under-11s manager at QPR, who now delivers specialist attacking coaching sessions for Elite Player UK, tells The Athletic. “He had been playing stuck out on the left but I decided to start playing him through the middle and he really blossomed. You can never be too sure at that age whether they will go on to make it but he had all the tools.
“He was rapid, an unbelievable touch and he had an end product in the final third. He trained how he played. He had the mentality to be a professional footballer. He was one of the quietest of the group but very respectful and a lovely kid.
“I remember one under-11s game against Chelsea at Cobham. We used to get beat by Chelsea all the time because they were always so strong. We were 4-1 down. I wasn’t happy at half-time and Harvey gave me that kind of look that says, ‘OK, I’ll show you’. He came to life, scored a hat-trick and we fought back to draw 4-4.
“That’s Harvey all over. He was unbelievable in that second half. It was like something out of a film.”
Elliott left QPR at the age of 11 and returned to Fulham’s academy. He attended Coombe Boys’ School, next to the London club’s Motspur Park training ground. Brothers Ryan and Steven Sessegnon also studied there.
After completing his homework, Elliott would train in the evenings and then do extra work in the family garden using cones and ladders he had laid out, sometimes persevering until it was pitch black.
When some coaches questioned whether he would be able to cover enough ground on a full-size pitch, his response was to go away and work on explosive training as he started doing hill climbs to build up his strength and stamina.
By the age of 14, he was playing under-18s football for Fulham and holding his own physically. He was selected to represent England Under-15s and has been part of the international set-up ever since.
In September 2018, at the age of 15 years and 174 days, he became Fulham’s youngest ever first-team player and the youngest in the history of the League Cup when he came off the bench to make his senior debut for the closing nine minutes of a 3-1 win over Millwall.
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(Photo: Action Foto Sport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
He had sat an exam at school earlier that day and, on his return to the classroom the following morning, he was given an ovation by his fellow pupils. He had travelled home from The Den after the match with his dad on the train.
“This kid shows the personality,” remarked then-Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic, who had been taken aback by Elliott’s impact after he had been invited to train with the senior players during an international training camp in Spain. “He says, ‘I want to show you I am a very good player’. I say, ‘OK if you can show me, I’ll give you this opportunity’.”
“Fearless” was the assessment of Fulham academy director Huw Jennings, who spoke about his “Messi-like style”.
In May 2019 there was another slice of history for Elliott, who became the youngest player ever to play in the Premier League. He was 16 years and 30 days when he featured against Wolverhampton Wanderers and there was another outing against Newcastle United the following week.
Fulham captain Tom Cairney described him as “a sensation” and his self-confidence as “frightening”. By then, Scott Parker was his manager and Fulham were desperately trying to convince the youngster to sign a scholarship. But with the club heading for the Championship and Europe’s elite circling, they were fighting a losing battle. Fulham were devastated to lose him.
Harvey Elliott’s first training session at Melwood last July certainly raised eyebrows. The collective response among the senior professionals was “wow”.
Assistant manager Pep Lijnders recalls sitting down with Klopp to discuss the previous hour. “We were like ‘OK, that’s quite impressive for a 16-year-old’,” laughs the Dutchman. “When we do the counter-press rondo you see straight away if a player can handle the speed and the decision-making because there’s such a small space in which to play our game.
“What a surprise he was when he came for the first sessions. Some players, they play as if they are already, say 28 or 29. He’s a player who sees so much around him before things happen.
“Everyone sees what a great player he is but behind that player is a great human being and a great addition to our squad. He’s our little diamond of the team.”
Given his age and profile, Liverpool have kept Elliott away from the glare of the media but after he turned 17 in April they sanctioned an LFCTV interview with him, which was conducted by Lijnders.
“I used to get smashed around a bit but you learn from it,” he said. “I had to move the ball quick, I had to have the next pass in my mind before I got the ball. I had to make sure my touch was good. That helped me a lot.”
Like Salah, Elliott favours playing wide on the right and cutting inside on to his left foot. “Mo is the King,” he says. “Going up against him in training I learn a lot of things. I idolise him a lot. Even in the gym, he helps and tells me to do higher weights to push myself even more. He’s a really big influence on the young players.”
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Elliott at Melwood on May 20 (Photo: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Earning the respect of vice-captain James Milner isn’t easy but Elliott has managed it, not only with the ability he’s shown but with his professionalism and the manner in which he has conducted himself.
Milner trod a similar path and is something of a mentor for him. At the age of 16, he was playing Premier League football for Leeds United – five months before Elliott was even born.
“Millie is such a big aspect for the team,” admits Elliott. “He’s always giving us tips. He’s always motivating us and wanting us to be the best we can be.”
Elliott took his Liverpool bow in front of 65,000 in last July’s friendly against Napoli in Edinburgh and also featured against Lyon in Geneva. At 5ft 7ins and with a low centre of gravity, he whetted fans’ appetites with two highly promising cameos as he proved to be a creative force.
His entire family moved from Surrey to a house in south Liverpool to help him settle in. He lives with dad Scott, mum Janine, sister Daniella and brother Harrison. French bulldog puppy Paisley is a recent addition, named after the legendary Liverpool manager.
Training at Melwood has been an education for him. He has a close relationship with elite development coach Vitor Matos, who arrived from Porto last October and works specifically with the youngsters, and has regularly dropped down to the under-23s squad at Kirkby in order to get game-time. He scored twice and provided four assists in a dozen Premier League 2 appearances in 2019-20, while there was a goal and five assists in seven UEFA Youth League matches.
Neil Critchley was Liverpool Under-23s boss before leaving to take over at Blackpool in March. “The first time I met Harvey was before our EFL Trophy game at Oldham last August,” Critchley tells The Athletic. “He scored and was excellent that night.
“He was great to work with and I really enjoyed getting to know him. He listens and he wants to learn. I know he has really impressed all the staff at Melwood.
“He’s got a lot of confidence in his own ability, there’s no doubt about that, but there’s not an arrogance about him, either on or off the pitch. He’s very level headed. He’s got a very good family around him and that’s important for any young player. Whenever he dropped down from Melwood to come to the academy his attitude was always spot on.
“His best quality — and this might sound daft — is his love of the game. He comes alive when he’s got a ball at his feet.
“He’s quick and he’s skilful but he doesn’t shirk the hard work. He’s the kind of kid who gives everything for the team whether he’s playing in front of a full house at Anfield or a few hundred at Kirkby.
“One of his great strengths is his receiving skills. The way he sees the game, his intelligence is well beyond his years. When you’ve got that mix of ability, character and work ethic it’s a great combination.”
In September, aged 16 years and 174 days, he became the youngest player to start a game for Liverpool when Klopp gave him his debut in the Carabao Cup tie at MK Dons. He should have capped a lively display with a goal but struck the underside of the bar.
A home debut followed in the next round against Arsenal. It’s a night he will never forget as a much-changed line up fought back to draw 5-5 in a thriller before going through on penalties.
By then Elliott had served a 14-day ban imposed by the FA for using offensive language in a social media video mocking Harry Kane. A private Snapchat message filmed during the Champions League final against Tottenham last June, when he was still a Fulham player, had been leaked into the public domain the following month.
Elliott issued an apology and accepted the subsequent charge, which included attending an educational course at Wembley. Given his age and the genuine remorse he showed, Klopp regarded it as a stupid mistake and decided that a warning rather than internal disciplinary action was required. Captain Jordan Henderson spoke to him about the responsibilities and the scrutiny that comes with representing a club of Liverpool’s stature and his behaviour since has been impeccable.
Polite and respectful, he’s a popular figure with long-serving Melwood canteen staff Carole and Caroline. He often sits in there and chats with fellow youngsters Curtis Jones and Neco Williams. The trio have grown close over the course of this season.
Having played in Liverpool’s youngest ever starting line-up when they were beaten 5-0 by Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup in December, Elliott was flown out to Qatar to be part of the squad which won the FIFA Club World Cup. His cherished winners’ medal sits alongside the one from the UEFA Super Cup when he was also an unused substitute.
There was a brief Premier League debut for Liverpool when he replaced Salah in stoppage time against Sheffield United at Anfield in January. But the FA Cup provided a platform for him to further enhance his reputation as he helped a young side beat Everton before getting past Shrewsbury Town at the second attempt. Critchley was in charge for that replay against the League One outfit with Klopp and his senior professionals away during the Premier League’s inaugural winter break.
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Elliott replaces Salah against Sheffield United at Anfield in January (Photo: Alex Livesey – Danehouse/Getty Images)
“Harvey may be young but holding his own physically isn’t a problem for him,” Critchley says. “I think what’s helped him is playing a lot of street football and playing a lot of games against older lads. He keeps the ball close to his body. He gets his fair share of whacks but it doesn’t knock him out of his stride. Growing up, I think he was used to getting a kicking and it’s stood him in good stead.
“He’s got a real ‘I’ll show you’ type attitude. He doesn’t get rattled easily. He picks himself up and goes again. That’s the best way to respond to a defender who is roughing you up. He’s so good in the one v one.
“I think he’s got a big future in the game. He couldn’t be at a better place to keep learning and continue his development, considering the senior players around him at Liverpool and playing for a manager who gives youngsters opportunities and believes in them. His mindset and mentality sets him apart. He’s humble and thankful for what he’s got. That will stand him in good stead.”
In terms of showing his individual brilliance, there’s been nothing better than the stunning bicycle kick he scored from a corner for the Under-23s against Wolves in late January. In his last game before the lockdown, he contributed a hat-trick of assists in the rout of Sunderland in the Premier League Cup.
“It’s weird seeing myself on the game,” Elliott recently told Rio Ferdinand after comprehensively beating the former England defender in a FIFA 20 match broadcast online by Copa90 Football. “I think my rating is a bit low though,” he joked. The smart money suggests it will keep climbing.
Elliott would have been leading the charge for England in the Under-17 European Championship in Estonia in May but that tournament was shelved due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With Liverpool on the brink of clinching the Premier League title, he’s expected to get more senior experience before the end of the season. Klopp sees him having a bigger role to play in 2020-21 with no loan spell on the cards.
On his return home from training at Melwood each day, Elliott still heads out into his back garden to keep practising. He’s driven by a burning desire to become one of the best in Europe. He will need to stay injury-free and enjoy some luck along the way but the signs are promising and he’s in safe hands.
“Jurgen is any player’s dream to play under,” Elliott says. “He dishes the jokes out but when it’s serious and we need to focus he brings the best out of everyone.
“I strive to be like a Steven Gerrard. I just want to be as big a legend as him. I want to win everything with this amazing club.”
It’s a lofty ambition but then again Elliott has already made a habit of rewriting the record books.
