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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Adam Jones

Ronald Koeman makes false Everton claims and blames transfer 'difficulties' for failed spell

Ronald Koeman has looked back on his difficulties as Everton manager and claimed it was "difficult" for him to bring top players to the club despite their money.

The Dutchman became Blues manager in 2016 and led the side to seventh in the Premier League after his first campaign. However, a poor beginning to the 2017/18 season meant that he was given his marching orders - with his final match being a humbling 5-2 home defeat to Arsenal in October 2017.

The future Netherlands and Barcelona manager presided over what has been widely regarded as one of the worst transfer windows in the club's history in 2017, and claimed that he struggled to bring quality players to the club thanks to competition from elsewhere in the Premier League.

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Koeman, in a clip shared by Sky Sports on Friday afternoon, also claimed that he had helped the Blues to a higher finish than he actually did in his only full campaign in charge of the club. And, the former manager wrongly claimed that the finish of his side was higher than the Blues had achieved in their recent history.

He said: "Everton is different because Everton tried. I was one and a half seasons at Everton, the first season we did well and ended sixth in the Premier League - maybe the best record in the last 15 years.

"It's difficult though because Everton had the money, but it's always difficult because if you try to sign good players or star players - if they can choose between Tottenham, City, Chelsea, Man United, Arsenal normally they will choose that kind of club and not Everton.

"Changing managers is not always the reason that it will be better. They are struggling in the last few years, fighting against relegation, and let's hope that they come back up in the table."

Three years before their seventh place finish under Koeman, Roberto Martinez took Everton to fifth in his first season in charge of the club. The 15 years before the Dutchman's only full campaign also saw the club finish fourth under David Moyes, while the Scot also secured numerous fifth and sixth-place finishes in that time.

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