Glen Johnson Tells Newcastle To Move In For Coveted Harvey Elliott

After lifting the Premier League title last season, Liverpool have been making moves in the transfer market both to improve the squad and trim some of the fat off ahead of the new campaign. The Reds have already completed moves for Florian Wirtz and Milos Kirkez; meanwhile, the futures of Andy Robertson, Harvey Elliott and Jarell Quansah at the club also remain in doubt. So, we caught up with former Liverpool full-back Glen Johnson to discuss all things Liverpool and the summer transfer window.

Elliott Deemed A Good Fit For Newcastle

Harvey Elliott has had a superb summer after leading Lee Carsley’s England U21s to 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship glory, which has culminated in him being crowned the Player of the Tournament. In 475 minutes, Elliott has scored 5 goals, including scoring the opener just five minutes into the final against Germany. Unfortunately, his future seems up in the air after suffering from a lack of playing time under both Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot.

Could a move away from Liverpool bring new life to his career, and where could he be heading? Glen Johnson is of the belief that Elliott should see out another season at the club before considering his future, but can also see the gifted attacker fitting in at Eddie Howe’s Newcastle side.

“Footballers want to play. He’s done well to win the trophies he has won and no one wants to be a bit part player. It’s hard to kick on and make the most of your ability when you play every other game.”

“For him, maybe if he’s not playing much this upcoming season then bang on the door and look to leave. I don’t think the issue is ability. Everyone needs game time and it’s impossible to play everyone.”

“I think he would suit nearly any team but he’d be a good fit at Newcastle with Eddie Howe where they’re pushing forward and they're heading in the right direction.”

Liverpool Signed Kerkez At The Right Age

Meanwhile, Liverpool have now completed the £40m signing of Bournemouth full-back Milos Kerkez. The young left-back, who made a name for himself last season for The Cherries, was named on a six-man shortlist for the PFA Young Player of the Year. Interestingly, Kerkez started all 38 games in the Premier League in 2024/25 and played 3,342 minutes from a possible 3,420 – the sixth-most of any outfielder across the competition. But what will the young Hungarian bring to the Liverpool side?

“Kerkez is on the right side of the age. Everyone can improve, of course, but he is very technically good on the ball. Of course, you need to defend, but at Liverpool you have the ball 75% of the game. You need to be technically good and you need to be able to get forward and get involved in attack, even chip in with goals.”

“I think he has a lot to improve, and it will be a different role at Liverpool than what he had at Bournemouth.”

Kerkez Can Learn From Senior Pro Robertson

Kerkez’s arrival means that Andy Robertson could possibly leave and he has been linked with a move to join Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid. Does the Scotsman have at least one more season in him at Liverpool and at the highest level, or has the arrival of Kerkez all but rubber-stamped the end of an era for the former Hull defender? Johnson feels as though Robertson still has something to offer and could help the transition period for Kerkez.

“I still see Robertson being there. Obviously, he has set the bar very high, but he probably hasn´t reached that for a while, at least by his standards.”

“It´s similar to what we have said about Virgil van Dijk.”

“If someone can follow the footsteps of Robertson, someone that can keep him pushing on and someone that can learn at the same time, it is a good combination.”

Who knows, maybe Liverpool and Leverkusen will both have more title success next season - and you can use our bet calculator to work out what kind of rewards you'd get for that 3.79/1 double.

Quansah Can’t Wait Around For First Team Football

After also winning the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, Jarell Quansah looks set for his move to Bayer Leverkusen, having struggled for playing time under Arne Slot. Johnson, as a former player who has been in a similar situation, empathised with Quansah’s urge to go out and play more regular football.

"It's similar to the Elliott situation really. You need to play to get the confidence, and you don´t want to wait around forever.”

“Obviously, players are different, but you are training just as hard as everyone else every week, and when you are not getting the games, it´s hard mentally to take.”

“You can´t quit training, but you are maybe not putting the same effort in because you are not seeing the reward of your work. It´s a really hard situation, but I would always rather have young players taking a step backwards to prove what they can do.”

“You never know what they can do bouncing back after that.”

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