Unhappy Parker dismisses £4.3m Elliott fee as pittance

FULHAM boss Scott Parker has branded it “madness” that Liverpool will get away with paying no more than £4.3million for Harvey Elliott.

The Reds initially offered £750,000 for the midfielder when they poached him from Craven Cottage in July 2019.

Fulham’s board declared themselves “very pleased” when a tribunal this week awarded them record compensation for a 16-year-old and a 20 per cent sell-on clause. But Elliott, right, on loan at Blackburn, would have to play 100 times for Liverpool and be capped by England for the full fee to become due.

And Parker said: “I was disappointed in it all because this is a player that had been developed at this club for a long, long time. We gave him his debut. Four million quid for a player we developed and thought the world of, to then leave like he did, is madness really.”

Parker slammed Fulham co-owner Tony Khan for revealing details this week of the club’s failed bid for Ivan Toney. “It’s something I don’t feel needs to happen. I want this to be an elite organisation. I can’t control what comes from the outside. At times it’s not helpful. Of course it isn’t.”

Everton are Fulham’s opponents tomorrow and Carlo Ancelotti believes England boss Gareth Southgate should be watching defender Ben Godfrey.

The Three Lions boss has been at Goodison Park twice recently and that has led to speculation the £25m summer signing from Norwich could get a surprise call-up. Ancelotti said: “He’s right if he watched Ben Godfrey. Gareth doesn’t need advice from me, but to see and watch Ben Godfrey at this moment is a pleasure for a manager.

“He has surprised me because I didn’t know him so well. The signing by our scouts has been good.”

But Dominic Calvert-Lewin is out after picking up a hamstring injury.

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