Despite losing their final game in the Champions League group stage against PSV 3-2, Liverpool still managed to finish top in the group phase, automatically qualifying them for the round of 16. The Reds won seven of their eight games played, earning 21 points and finishing with 12 goal difference.
One man in particular who took his chance against PSV, was Harvey Elliott, who has struggled for minutes under Arne Slot so far, but managed to score in their final Champions League group game, also managing 70 touches, enjoying 100% dribble success and winning 100% of his ground duels.
After his performance in Holland, Elliott could have shown his manager that attacking reinforcement isn’t needed, with recent links to Lyon attacking midfielder, Rayan Cherki, proving he can provide that creative spark needed, whether it’s from the bench or a starting position.
Liverpool’s very own Cherki
Elliott has made 14 appearances for Liverpool this campaign, scoring three goals, providing one assist and totalling 404 minutes played so far.
The 21-year-old did miss the start of the season with a broken foot, but since returning, Slot has been easing him back, with substitute appearances in the Premier League and starts in cup competitions.
The youngster joined from Fulham back in the 2019/20 season, being an extremely highly rated teenager at the time. His value quickly skyrocketed, going from a €4.00m (£3.3m) player to a €22.00m (£18.4m) player in the span of two years, spending time with Blackburn on loan – as per Transfermarkt.
According to Transfermarkt, Elliott is now worth €35m (£29.2m)
This £29.2m valuation is higher than the French attacking midfielder being linked to the club, begging the question of whether Liverpool really need him.
Cherki vs Elliot comparison
Cherki has made 24 appearances so far this season, scoring five goals, providing eight assists and totalling 1,501 minutes played. His current value is €30m (£25m), which is less than Elliott’s as previously stated.
|
Rayan Cherki (24/25) vs Harvey Elliot (23/24) comparison |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90 mins) |
Cherki |
Elliot |
|
Goals |
0.30 |
0.13 |
|
Assists |
0.48 |
0.35 |
|
Progressive Carries |
4.77 |
3.00 |
|
Progressive Passes |
10.1 |
7.85 |
|
Progressive Passes Received |
8.08 |
7.55 |
|
Shots Total |
2.41 |
2.96 |
|
Passes into Final Third |
4.77 |
5.11 |
|
Passes into Pen Area |
3.97 |
2.75 |
|
Key Passes |
4.11 |
2.19 |
|
Shot-Creating Actions |
7.68 |
4.72 |
|
Stats taken from FBref |
||
When comparing the two players’ metrics – having used Cherki’s from this season and Elliott’s from last season due to minutes played – you can see Cherki outperforms Elliot in all but two areas, the Englishman having a higher shot volume and completing more passes into the final third, thus showing his willingness to drop deep and link play.
Elliott was labelled “elite” for a performance against Newcastle back in 2022 by Statman Dave on X, with a midfield performance orchestrating play, completing long passes, making ball recoveries and completing dribbles in the final third.
Whilst Cherki has perhaps shown a higher level thus far, Elliott has shown his potential already playing in the Premier League, and given more trust and responsibility, Elliott could go to the next level, taking the creative burden as a playmaker in this Liverpool side, which would see his underlying numbers spike.
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2025-01-30 20:46:13
