Harvey Elliott finds himself in a holding pattern as his loan at Aston Villa continues without a clear resolution. Unai Emery has been candid about the situation, saying: “On Sunday, he was on the bench, and if we needed some help from him, he was ready to do it. He is in the squad tomorrow. But the situation is not changing for him that he has now.”

Elliott moved to Villa from Liverpool on an initial loan last summer. The deal contains a clause that would make the move permanent for around £30 million if he reaches a specified number of appearances. Villa decided they were not prepared to trigger that buy option and have effectively sidelined the attacking midfielder, who is five appearances short of activating the purchase clause.

Reports have suggested Villa would like to end the loan early, but doing so would require them to pay a fee to Liverpool. If Elliott does not return to Merseyside, his game time for the remainder of the campaign looks likely to be limited. Liverpool appear unwilling to use him for the rest of the season and, having already represented both Liverpool and Villa this campaign, he cannot sign for another European club.

That restriction has focused attention on potential moves beyond Europe. Major League Soccer side Charlotte FC have been linked with Elliott, but any transfer to North America would depend on Liverpool and Villa agreeing to terminate the loan and on Elliott accepting a move to the United States. Dean Smith is the current head coach at Charlotte FC, a club that last winter completed a similar procedure when they signed Wilfried Zaha after he had played for Lyon and Galatasaray during the 2024-25 European season.

Elliott last featured for Villa in early October and faces a complex path back to regular football. Among Liverpool supporters his future is a low priority in the January transfer window, with fans instead pressing for incoming signings as Arne Slot’s squad thins. The weekend defeat to Bournemouth once again exposed shortfalls in both defence and attack, with the backline particularly stretched.

Arsenal arrive at this phase with a slim four-point lead and a run of results that has made every remaining matchday feel decisive. Having not won the league since the undefeated 2003–04 campaign, Mikel Arteta’s side have shown a recent wobble: an apparent reluctance to create from open play and moments of vulnerability that opponents can exploit.

The next fortnight contains tricky trips to Leeds United and Brentford, fixtures unlikely to be straightforward. Tottenham Hotspur and the North London derby loom large as well. Spurs, managed by Thomas Frank, have endured another miserable Premier League campaign; the Dane could be out of the job by the time Arsenal visit N17 in Gameweek 27. Spurs are poor at home and Arsenal have won each of their previous three visits to Seven Sisters Road. The reverse fixture saw Eberechi Eze netted a hat-trick in a 4–1 rout, underlining the derby’s potential significance.

Both Manchester City and Aston Villa have games before the North London Derby, with City hosting Newcastle United and Villa welcoming Leeds. Gameweek 28 begins with Unai Emery’s Villans on Friday night at Molineux. Wolverhampton Wanderers are harder to beat under Rob Edwards but appear set for relegation, which can make them dangerous opponents. Boubacar Kamara’s long-range strike was decisive in their previous duel at the start of Edwards’ reign.

There are further tests the following weekend: City visit Leeds on Saturday evening and Arsenal host Chelsea on Sunday, with Arsenal unbeaten against the Blues since 2021 and Liam Rosenior’s reign off to a productive start.

The standout fixture arrives in mid-April, Gameweek 33, when Arsenal travel to the Etihad. The two prior meetings in Manchester ended all-square: the 2023–24 run-in finished goalless and a John Stones strike at the death rescued a point for City at the start of last season. City barely clung on for a point in the reverse fixture and will benefit from the arrivals of Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guéhi and the return of a couple of defenders from injury.

Liverpool remain a wild card after a disappointing title defence under Arne Slot; they host City on Feb. 8 and visit Villa later in the season. Arsenal finish a home outing against Burnley, while City close an away run at Bournemouth. If Arsenal’s recent dip becomes a collapse, City and Villa could overturn the deficit and a final-day showdown at the Etihad between City and Villa would decide the title.

Manchester United’s 3–2 victory at the Emirates has tightened the title race. Arsenal’s lead is now four points after the weekend’s action.

Man City stopped the rot at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers, while Aston Villa were superb in their 2–0 triumph at Newcastle United. Their hopes of making this a thrilling title race have been boosted by Michael Carrick’s Red Devils.

The run-in remains some time away, but the 2025/26 season has entered a crucial period. Below are the next five Premier League fixtures for the three sides and how they compare.

Arsenal (50 points)
Man City (46 points)
Aston Villa (46 points)

Leeds Utd vs. Arsenal (Jan. 31)
Tottenham vs. Man City (Feb. 1)
Aston Villa vs. Brentford (Feb. 1)

Arsenal vs. Sunderland (Feb. 7)
Liverpool vs. Man City (Feb. 8)
Bournemouth vs. Aston Villa (Feb. 7)

Brentford vs. Arsenal (Feb. 12)
Man City vs. Fulham (Feb. 11)
Aston Villa vs. Brighton (Feb. 11)

Tottenham vs. Arsenal (Feb. 22)
Man City vs. Newcastle (Feb. 21)
Aston Villa vs. Leeds Utd (Feb. 21)

Arsenal vs. Chelsea (Mar. 1)
Leeds vs. Man City (Feb. 28)
Wolves vs. Aston Villa (Feb. 27)

Arsenal face two potentially troublesome away days at Leeds United and Brentford, teams capable of disrupting the leaders as Nottingham Forest did in their recent goalless draw at the City Ground. In between those trips the league leaders welcome a home-reliant Sunderland to the Emirates and must also travel to Tottenham before the visit from Chelsea.

The Gunners will be hopeful that Spurs offer some domestic competence when Man City travel down to N17 next weekend. Guardiola’s side may need to put together one of their vintage runs to track down the leaders, but they’ve got to visit Anfield and Elland Road in the next month.