What happened to Harvey Elliott and why Brighton don't need him

On the face of it, Harvey Elliott signing for Brighton seems like a very sensible move.

Elliott, 21, has recovered from a broken foot sustained earlier this season but is now struggling to make his mark on Arne Slot’s excellent Liverpool team.

The former Fulham man has played just 147 minutes of first team football across all competitions this term, which has prompted speculation of a January transfer – with Brighton and Borussia Dortmund among the teams linked.

The midfielder joined Liverpool from Craven Cottage in 2019 for £1.5m, he has 128 appearances for the Reds so far with 11 goals and 14 assists. He is valued at around £30m and is contracted at Anfield until June 2027.

Elliott remains one of the most creative young talents in English football and it’s easy to see him fitting into Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton team. Over the past few seasons, Brighton have developed an attacking style and are now one of the most entertaining teams in the Premier League. Elliott’s skills could easily add to that and the recent transfer speculation has really appealed to many Brighton fans.

Brighton, who are 10th in the Premier League, currently have a number of injuries and Elliott could be an excellent short-term addition as Hurzeler’s team push for European football next term.

But last summer the Seagulls invested more than £200m in their squad and when fit they are loaded with players who operate in Elliott’s favoured attacking midfield positions. Elliott is also at his best when playing on the right of the midfield and cutting in on to left foot – and once again Brighton are well catered in that area of the pitch.

Albion fans are yet to see the best from right wingers Yankuba Minteh, 20, Brajan Gruda, 20, and Ferdi Kadioglu, 24, who all joined in the summer window for a combined total of around £80m.

Solly March, who also operates on the right, is now back playing after his ACL injury and they also have the highly-talented Argentina playmaker Facundo Buonanotte (impressing on loan at Leicester) set to return at the end of the season.

Georginio Rutter, a £40m summer signing from Leeds United and Matt O’Riley, who arrived from Celtic for £25m, can both play in Elliott’s No 10 role as can Paraguay playmaker Julio Enciso and Brazilian attacker Joao Pedro.

The versatile Jack Hinshelwood, who is currently struggling with a knee problem, is also a player capable of scoring goals from advanced midfield positions. The 19-year-old Amario Cozier-Duberry, a right winger who joined on a free after leaving Arsenal, is also on loan at Blackburn and £16m summer arrival Ibrahim Osman, 20, is on loan at Feyenoord.

As tempting as Elliott sounds and as good as he is, Brighton, at this stage, just don’t really need him. At the moment, Albion’s main issues are in defence and closing the £25m deal for Palmeiras defender Vitor Reis is their top priority this window.