The Liverpool midfielder is on-loan at Villa this season, though is being frozen out in the Premier League as the deal will become permanent after a certain number of league appearances.
Liverpool have refused to renegotiate the deal with Villa, so leaving Elliott on the outer at Villa Park.
Purslow told talkSPORT: "I am not on the inside on that decision. I did (work with Emery) and I follow the club extremely closely.
"I couldn’t help but notice, I think 14 days after the summer window shut the sporting director, a man called Monchi, left the club. It was a very, very difficult summer for Villa."
Purslow continued: "It would seem to be the case (that Elliott was a Monchi signing), that Unai was saying ‘he wasn’t really my first choice’, or choice maybe at all.
"Monchi going, I thought, spoke very loudly about that and (it’s a) pity. I think the kid is the meat in the sandwich.
"I think it’s extremely unfortunate because I truly think he thought he would be joining Aston Villa on a permanent basis, it was just a delayed payment.
"We can call it what we like but that’s what it looked like to me so very unfortunate but there is no prospect right now when you look at that league table and how tight it is that Liverpool are going to cut Villa any slack."