I was working hard to sign Liverpool star for Everton - but the manager ruled against it as he was not sure
Liverpool signed the winger for £37.5 million in January 2022.
Evertonians know they head into the final Merseyside derby against Liverpool at Goodison Park up against it.
David Moyes has insisted that narrowing the chasm between the Toffees and the Reds is something he’s aiming to achieve since returning for his second spell as manager. During his first reign, the gap was nowhere near as sizeable.
In two seasons under Moyes, Everton finished above their fierce foes, including the Scot’s final campaign in 2011-12 before leaving for Manchester United.
What Moyes said
"There's a gulf between the two squads, and everyone's aware of the difficulty this club has had," said Moyes at his pre-match press conference.
"The gap between the two teams at the moment has probably been as big as it has been for a long time. So it's something I have to bridge, and start bringing the two clubs closer together.”
In truth, since Moyes’ exit 12 years ago, a significant division has grown between the two clubs. Liverpool have won seven major trophies, including the Premier League and Champions League. This season, they sit six points clear at the summit of the table, into the last 16 of the Champions League and the Carabao Cup final.
Everton, on the other hand, have found themselves in the mire of late. Former owner Farhad Moshiri’s tenure proved disastrous despite significant spending on transfers in his early years. Too many failures, coupled with a constant turnover of managers, led to relegation battles and breaching profit and sustainability rules.
‘I was working hard on the deal’
One reason why Liverpool re-established themselves among England and Europe’s elite was because of their sage recruitment. There are plenty of success stories when it comes to players brought in. There have been many more hits than misses. Yet one player who is in line to feature in the Merseyside derby for Liverpool could well have been in royal blue had things transpired differently.
Luis Diaz is a key player for the Reds. Since arriving from Porto for £37.5 million in January 2022, he has recorded 36 goals and 16 appearances in 131 appearances. This term, the winger has found the back of the net 12 times in 33 outings.
Yet before he moved to Anfield, Everton were keen. In the summer of 2021, Diaz was on the Blues’ radar. The club were trying to reduce their wage bill and despite being a fans’ favourite, former director of football Marcel Brands claimed he wanted to part-exchange James Rodriguez for his Colombia team-mate Luis Diaz.
However, in an interview with AD Sportwereld (via the Mirror) in November 2023, Brands claimed that Rafa Benitez, who had succeeded Carlo Ancelotti as manager, turned down the deal. Brands said: "I wanted to install my philosophy and structure in the club that would allow Everton to progress, but the decisions from above did not allow it. In the summer of 2021 we were looking to bring Luis Diaz from Porto. I was working hard to get James Rodriguez to go to Porto as part of the deal that would bring Diaz to the blub, however, Rafa Benitez ruled against it because he was not sure about the player.”
Brands and Benitez - who spent six years as Liverpool manager winning the Champions League in 2005 - had a fractious relationship during their short time together. Brands left his post in December 2021 not long after a 4-1 Merseyside derby defeat. A month later, Benitez was sacked from the Goodison Park hot seat and replaced by Frank Lampard.
On their time together, Brands added: "At this time, the manager held significant clout with the owner. This was just one example of the difficulties I experienced as director of football at Everton. I’m not prepared to speak on the details of how my exit from Everton came about in respect to the club but I believe under Sean Dyche and Kevin Thelwell the club can get the stability it so badly needs."