Everton’s director of football has spoken to Voetbal International this week, as relayed by Voetbal Zone. Marcel Brands, who joined the club from PSV Eindhoven in the summer, was discussing transfer strategy and seemed to suggest he will not be overpaying for players.
When doing so, he mentioned Liverpool summer signing Naby Keita.
“I think that if (PSV players) Hirving Lozano and Steven Bergwijn, in the Premier League, go directly to the absolute top, they will find it very difficult.
“Look at Keita at Liverpool. He was signed for more than fifty million euros from Leipzig, but he’s just on the bench.”
– Marcel Brands on Premier League transfer activity
The Guinea midfielder joined Liverpool this summer 12 months after initially agreeing on a deal at Anfield.
The fee, according to Sky Sports, was in the region of £52.75 million for the player.
Brands seemed to suggest that is too much for the player, considering the impact he has so far had at Anfield.
Keita has often been used as a substitute this season after struggling to make an immediate impact at Anfield.
What Brands is suggesting, is that Keita might have been better off joining a team lower down the Premier League pecking order.
Of course, Everton would love to have Keita and Liverpool fans will be swift to point that out.
The midfield dynamo has started the club’s last three Premier League games and is starting to look settled in England.
But if the Liverpool man needed any more motivation to do well at Anfield, then proving the director of football at your direct rivals is a pretty strong one.