7 hours ago
3
David Moyes has struck a reasonably conciliatory tone ahead of Everton's trip to Liverpool. Asked about the spending of his Red rivals, the Scot mostly elected not to fan the flames — although he could not help himself from making a sly (and incorrect) reference to Alexander Isak's record-breaking price tag.
Liverpool is still yet to completely click following an influx of new arrivals this summer. Yet it extended its record to five wins from five in midweek, with yet another late goal securing victory over Atletico Madrid.
Next up is the Merseyside derby, where Isak could be primed to make his league debut. Arne Slot will be doubly motivated to continue his winning start, with Arsenal and Manchester City set to meet on Sunday.
Naturally, Liverpool's transfer window has been a point of discussion for the rest of the division. Many a rival fan has sought to weaponize Jurgen Klopp's old quotes on spending.
For his part, Slot has defended the expenditure by pointing out that Liverpool has become a money-making machine. Not only is the commercial department among the very best in the world, but Richard Hughes oversaw some major outgoing deals, resulting in a net spend lower than Arsenal's.
Perhaps contrary to expectations, Moyes has more or less concurred with that point of view. Speaking ahead of the derby, he admitted that Liverpool has earned the right to spend heavily by virtue of its success on and off the pitch.
"First of all, you have to win and earn the right to be in the big competitions which makes the money," Moyes conceded. "I found at West Ham, three years in Europe allowed us to spend and bring money in.
"From that point of view, I think Liverpool are entitled to do it. I heard Arne defending himself that he has brought in a lot of money as well, which he has rightly done."
That's a very level-headed assessment from Moyes. Even amid the rivalry, he can acknowledge that Liverpool has got itself into a position where it is able to invest in further success.
Having said that, the Everton boss couldn't quite leave it at that. (And to be fair, we wouldn't have it any other way.)
"But I still think they’ve spent more on one player than we have spent on the whole squad," Moyes offered as a concluding remark. That was clearly a sly dig at Isak, who arrived at Anfield for $169 million (£125 million).
For what it's worth, light-hearted though it may have been, Moyes' math is way off. Everton didn't exactly have a quiet summer itself, spending in the region of $149 million (£110 million) on six new players.
In fact, you only have to go back to last summer to get to a grand spending total above what Liverpool spent on Isak. So Everton has clearly assembled its squad at greater expense than the one-off fee paid by the Reds.
Not only that, but Everton has done this off the back of finishing 13th and 15th. Prior to that, it was 17th and 16th.
Throw in the disparity in global fanbase and subsequent marketing power, and it's arguably Everton that has been spending out of proportion with its stature.. Moyes' remarks suggest he probably knows this, even if he couldn't resist a shot at Isak.
And ultimately, when the match rolls around, you can forget about the fees spent on the 22 players who take to the pitch. Everything goes out of the window, and nothing else matters for 90 minutes — although it would be delightful if Isak could be the one to make the telling difference.
English (US) ·