Harvey Elliott has earned his first praise from Spanish media after helping Valencia rescue a 2-2 draw against Racing Santander under new head coach Javier Aguirre.
The Liverpool loanee came off the bench in the second half and the shift in formation sparked Valencia’s comeback from 2-1 down. Sport rated him 7/10, saying his introduction “helped change Valencia’s offensive rhythm” and gave the team “imagination, mobility and solutions on the ball”. Mundo Deportivo agreed with the rating and credited Elliott with helping Valencia “get back into the game”. Marca gave him 6/10.
It marks a sharp turnaround from earlier criticism. Spanish outlets had previously branded Elliott as “out of shape” and claimed he needed to “do more” for the team. Aguirre himself praised the 23-year-old after the match, saying he had been “doing very well” since the manager arrived.
Valencia remain in 19th place in La Liga but are now just three points off ninth with Aguirre’s arrival bringing hope to a relegation-form team.
Sources
How this story developed
- 12 Oct We first reported this.
- 12 Oct Valencia boss now says Elliott 'has to play', adding weight to Spanish media praise from the original report.
- 13 Oct Liverpool.com now reports Elliott received praise from Spanish media after his appearance off the bench for Valencia.
- 22 Oct More outlets picked it up.
Updated 13 October 2026, 03:26. Written by PremClub News with the help of AI, using only facts from the reports listed on this page. How we rate stories · Editorial policy