Everton must bridge ‘gulf’ to rivals Liverpool, says Moyes

Everton manager David Moyes said Liverpool have earned the right to spend a record amount in the transfer window as he aims to bridge the gap between the Merseyside rivals.

The Toffees head to Anfield in the Premier League on Saturday, where they have not won in front of a crowd since 1999.

Moyes’ personal record away to Liverpool is just as bad as he has not beaten the Reds in 22 matches at various clubs.

The task for Everton has been made even harder by Liverpool’s near £450 million ($612 million) spend on new players in the summer, including a British transfer record £125 million on Alexander Isak.

“I still think that they’ve spent more on one player than we have done on a whole squad,” said Moyes in his pre-match press conference on Friday.

“You have to earn the right. You have to win and be in the big competitions to make the money and I found at West Ham three years in Europe allowed us to spend money, so from that point of view I think Liverpool are entitled to.”

Everton have spent recent seasons battling relegation but there is a fresh sense of optimism after moving to the club’s new 53,000-capacity stadium.

Moyes’ men are unbeaten in four games, but he is aware of the challenge to narrow the “gulf” between the teams in the coming years.

“It’s having a realism of where the games are and where the clubs are. I need to try to shorten the gulf between the two clubs,” he added.

“At the moment Liverpool are champions, probably favourites or second favourites for the Champions League, and we are not.

“We are Everton, who have just come out of three or four difficult seasons and are trying to rebuild. Trying to bridge that gap is quite difficult to do.”