It didn’t come as a surprise to see Liverpool announce that highly-rated teenager Harvey Elliott had signed a new deal on Friday afternoon.
Both parties had been working on a new contract behind the scenes, resulting in the 18-year-old committing his future to the club for at least another five years.
He’ll be part of the squad for the club’s pre-season tour of Austria and will surely see the trip as the perfect opportunity to impress Jurgen Klopp ahead of the new season.
His new deal comes on the back of an impressive season-long loan move with Blackburn Rovers in the last campaign.
During his time with the one-time Premier League champions, he proved to be a key player and finished the season with a standout seven goals and 11 assists.
No player aged 21 or under could better that assist return of 11 from either the Premier League or the Championship last season.
Furthermore, only five players from that same age group in either of England's top two tiers managed to net more than seven league goals.
His goal contributions while impressive may not be that surprising for most Reds given the potential he’s already illustrated during his short career so far.
Yet what proved to be an additional pleasant surprise for Reds officials keeping a watchful eye over him was his versatility.
Beyond playing in his more traditional right-wing position last season, the teenager also featured as a false nine and number eight in a midfield trio - a similar set-up to the one deployed by Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
While his direct goal contributions obviously stood out, his underlying numbers also proved to be equally impressive.
This time when compared to all 86 Championship midfielders or forwards aged 23 or under who played 1000+ minutes last season, Elliott ranked top in terms of having the highest Expected Assist (xA) per 90 average (0.23) and second-highest average in terms of key passes completed per 90 (0.79).
In the Premier League, only Wolves’ Pedro Neto and Chelsea duo Mason Mount and Callum Hudson-Odoi were able to rival these numbers.
Of course, the Premier League is a notable step up in quality when compared to the Championship, yet for Elliott to have been producing these numbers at the age of just 17 - he only turned 18 in April - does indicate that the sky's the limit in terms of his potential.
As he matures and develops in the coming years, it’s more than possible that he produces the same level of performance in England’s top tier playing for Liverpool.
For that reason, the club looks to have one of the brightest prospects in the country within their ranks and will therefore be overjoyed to have tied him now on a new long term deal.
