Liverpool and Everton showing early intent by setting about their transfer business

With the silly season in full flow, it’s Merseyside duo Liverpool and Everton who are showing that they mean business in 2017/18, by making some eye-catching early captures.

Liverpool have forked out in the region of €42m to secure the services of Mohamed Salah but this transfer has raised more questions than answers for Fantasy Premier League managers.

The Egyptian international failed to make an impact at Chelsea but he flourished at Roma last season and should fit seamlessly into Jürgen Klopp’s favoured 4-3-3. However, despite the fact that Salah boasted better stats than Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané last season, as illustrated in the Oulala infographic below, there is no guarantee that he will be an automatic starter.

Mané was named Liverpool’s player of the season, Firmino has been handed the number 9 shirt, suggesting that he is still very much in Klopp’s plans, while the much sought after Coutinho remains their prized asset.

While Liverpool fans will be eager to see how Klopp plans to deploy his troops when their pre-season schedule gets under way, it is in the blue half of Merseyside where there is even more to contemplate.

Ronald Koeman has wasted no time in bringing in a plethora of new faces, raising hopes that Everton can push for a Champions League spot.

With Romelu Lukaku expected to leave, the spine of the team is undergoing major surgery. Striker Sandro Ramirez has signed from Malaga, while Jordan Pickford is expected to be first choice goalkeeper after completing his move from Sunderland earlier in the window. Elsewhere Davy Klaassen, who scored 14 goals and chipped in with 9 assists in the Eredivisie for Ajax last season, boasting the sort of stats that are certain to attract the attention of fantasy football managers and could occupy one of the central midfield berths.

However, it gets better for Toffees fans, with the news that Burnley’s Michael Keane has completed a medical and is also set to join, to bolster the defensive ranks of the Goodison Park outfit and this could be a real coup, judging by his performances for the Clarets last season.

The former Manchester United man excelled in a number of keys areas, helping Burnley to stave off the threat of relegation and will provide some much-needed solidity for an Everton side that only shipped 2 more goals than their city rivals’ Liverpool last season.

More ins and outs are expected to follow but which honours can we seriously expect the Merseyside duo to challenge for next season?