David Moyes did not quite get his facts right when claiming Liverpool have spent more on one player than Everton have on their entire squad.
Liverpool enjoyed a statement summer that has seen outsiders focus solely on the £446.2 million spent, rather than considering the entire picture of also recouping £216 million in sales.
Liverpool twice broke the British transfer record, first for Florian Wirtz (£116m) and then Alexander Isak (£125m) as the club seeks to build on their Premier League success.
To his credit, Moyes recognised Liverpool’s success and spending power supplemented their ability to spend big, but his claim that Isak cost more than Everton‘s squad is wide of the mark.
“You have to earn the right to,” Moyes told reporters after being asked if he’s envious. “First of all, you have to win and you have to be in the big competitions which makes the money.
“I found at West Ham, three years in Europe allowed us to spend money, allowed us to bring money in, so from that point of view Liverpool are entitled to do it.
“I heard Arne defending himself, that he’s brought in a lot of money as well, which he rightly has done.
“But I still think they’ve spent more on one player than we’ve spent on the whole squad.”
Not exactly true though, is it Moyes?
Everton’s summer transfer spend: £122 million
Isak cost £125 million, we can all recognise it is an eye-watering figure, but Everton spent close to that in the summer, let alone for the entire squad.
Tyler Dibling (£42m), Thierno Barry (£27m), Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£28m), Carlos Alcaraz (£12.6m), Adam Aznou (£8m) and Mark Travers (£4m) were all signed for £121.6 million.
That does not account for the loan signing of Jack Grealish or the players in the squad before the summer.
With Everton recouping just £6 million in sales, they had a net spend of £116 million, compared to Liverpool’s £230.2 million.
So, while a catchy and headline-worthy comment from Moyes, it is, sadly for him, not accurate!