‘He needs to move’ – Henry Winter implores one ‘dedicated’ player to leave Liverpool this summer | OneFootball

Henry Winter is adamant that one Liverpool player ‘needs to move’ this summer as he’s ‘too good to kick his heels on the bench’.

Since the end of the 2024/25 season five weeks ago, nobody in Arne Slot’s squad has had a better time of things than Harvey Elliott, who was named as the official player of the tournament by UEFA as England retained their European Under-21 crown at the weekend.

The 22-year-old scored five goals in helping the Young Lions to win the trophy back-to-back, matching his tally in 28 appearances for the Reds last term, although just two Premier League starts and a cumulative game-time of 822 minutes laid bare his standing at Anfield.

Winter urges Elliott to leave Liverpool

In his personal Substack column (Henry Winter’s Goal Posts) on Monday morning, the journalist called for Liverpool’s number 19 to seek a move to pastures new this summer, fearing that his talents could go to waste if he continutes to find his game-time on Merseyside limited.

He wrote: ‘Harvey Elliott needs to play. He needs to move. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder is not quite good enough yet to break into Liverpool’s first team (Dominik Szoboszlai is ahead) but Elliott’s performances for England at the Under-21 Euros prove he’s too good to kick his heels on the bench.

‘He’ll take a week off with his partner, refresh mind and body, talk to agent and family (who were out in Slovakia) and then return to Kirkby with a conversation to have with Arne Slot and a decision to make. Slot does not appear to value Elliott as much as Jurgen Klopp did.

(Photo by Christian Hofer/Getty Images)

‘It probably makes sense for Elliott to move and Liverpool will get good money for him. All the technical qualities are there, he’s a good character, dedicated professional, and could have been England’s captain at the Euros had Lee Carsley not chosen James McAtee.

‘Does he have the physicality for sustained Premier League action at elite level? That’s really the only question about Elliott. It is easy to see Elliott flourishing in Spain.’

Liverpool could command a big fee for Elliott after European exploits

Interest in the 22-year-old is sure to spike after his starring performances for England’s under-21s in Slovakia this month, with Brighton and Chelsea among the clubs eyeing an opportunity to lure him away from Liverpool (CaughtOffside).

As Winter referenced, the Reds could be in a position to command a sizeable fee for the ex-Fulham starlet after excelling on the European stage, and the club-record arrival of Florian Wirtz is likely to act as a further impediment to getting first-team minutes under Slot.

The sight of Elliott in tears at Anfield on the day that the Premier League trophy was presented last month may have suggested that he could be on the move and that it’d be difficult for him to sever his ties with the club that he’s adored since childhood.

It’d be hard to begrudge him a transfer if his preference is to leave, as a player of his talents deserves to be playing on the big stage every week, although he’s exactly the kind of option who any manager would love to call upon from the bench.

With Liverpool set to play upwards of 50 matches again next season, the 22-year-old won’t be stuck for opportunities to feature, but he mightn’t be content to do so primarily as a substitute for much longer.

We’d be understanding if he were to depart, and the Reds should be able to attract upwards of £40m for him after his starring role for England this month, but we’d hate to see him go and would gladly have him at Anfield for at least another campaign.