Everton boss David Moyes aims thinly-veiled dig at Liverpool ahead of this weekend’s Merseyside derby

David Moyes knows his main job at Everton is to bridge the gap between them and city rivals Liverpool – but jokes it is hard to do when the neighbours spent more on one player than the Toffees have on their entire squad.

Premier League champions Liverpool host their friends from across town on Saturday in the first Merseyside Derby of the season after a summer in which they twice broke their own transfer record with £116million Florian Wirtz and £125m Alexander Isak.

And Moyes, whose side have three wins and a draw from five games this season, said: ‘You earn the right to spend money. You have to win and be in the big competitions to make the money, at West Ham with three years in Europe it allowed us to spend some money.

‘Liverpool have been entitled to do that and Arne has defended them saying how much they have brought in.

‘But I still think they have spent more on one player than we have on the whole squad!’

Moyes could be referring to either Wirtz or Isak there, though his counterpart Arne Slot was keen to stress that Everton have their own £100m player in Jack Grealish despite the fact he is only on loan.

Liverpool paid £125m to sign Alexander Isak (left) while Florian Wirtz (right) came in for £116m

Moyes, 62, has failed to win a single one of his previous 22 trips to Anfield as a manager 

The Toffees boss added: ‘It is about having a realism about where the game and the clubs are at. My job is to shorten the gulf between the two clubs. Liverpool are champions and favourites if not second favourites for the Champions League.

‘We are not. We are Everton, we have come out of four difficult years. Bridging that gap is quite difficult to do.

‘We want to enjoy it, play better, win more often, we are trying desperately to challenge the big teams. Any big derby in any city is very important. This is always a very difficult game for me personally because we have come up against really good teams.

‘We have always been competitive, that will not change. The gap between the two clubs in my first stint was as close as it has ever been. The derby is always hugely important. Do I enjoy it (Derby day)? I would be lying if I said yes!’