Would any of Everton's new signings make Liverpool's starting line-up?

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher questioned whether any of Everton's new signings would be first-choice across Stanley Park

Michael Keane (left) completed his £25m move from Burnley to Everton on Monday (Getty)

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher dismissed Everton’s summer transfer business on Monday, just hours after Ronald Koeman’s side had confirmed the signings of young Malaga striker Sandro Ramirez and Burnley centre-back Michael Keane.

Everton have been the Premier League’s most proactive club regarding transfer business this summer, with the captures of Ramirez and Keane taking the club’s spending in this window up to at least £86m.

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, midfielder Davy Klaassen and striker Henry Onyekuru have also arrived at Goodison Park this summer, but Carragher does not believe any of the five would be a first-choice player at Anfield.

“When Everton sign 4/5 players but none of them would make the Liverpool team,” he tweeted on Monday night alongside a bizarre picture of Jürgen Klopp wearing a parasol hat. Peter Reid, the former Everton midfielder, responded by tweeting: “Keep off the ale La.”

Does Carragher have a point, though? We ran the rule over Everton’s four major signings and compared them to their opposite numbers across Stanley Park to see whether they would make Klopp's starting line-up come August.

Jordan Pickford vs Simon Mignolet

Pickford is highly thought-of at the moment after impressing last term for David Moyes’ doomed Sunderland. The 23-year-old is a marked improvement on Joel Robles and Maarten Stekelenburg, Ronald Koeman’s previous options between the sticks, and his switch to Goodison Park made him the third-most expensive goalkeeper of all time.

Would he dislodge a fellow ex-Sunderland ‘keeper, Simon Mignolet, at Anfield? It is a tough one to call. While Mignolet has divided opinion among Liverpool supporters ever since his move from Wearside in 2013, he hardly put a foot wrong since regaining his place from Loris Karius during the mid-part of last season and earned Jürgen Klopp’s side vital points during the top-four run-in.

Mignolet does not deserve to lose his automatic starting place to a young newcomer for a second season running but Pickford is a sound long-term investment and does not carry the same baggage as the Belgian. The Everton signing wins out, just.

Verdict: Jordan Pickford, just

Michael Keane vs Dejan Lovren

Keane’s stock greatly rose last season, with the former Manchester United youth product impressing as part of Sean Dyche’s limited but stubborn Burnley side. This form earned him an England debut in March and ultimately convinced Koeman, chairman Bill Kenwright and owner Farhad Moshiri to part with an initial £25m for Keane’s services.

Questions, meanwhile, have been asked about the centre of Liverpool’s defence for years now. No player has established himself as a reliable, long-term option in the role since Carragher’s retirement in 2013. Of the current first-choice pairing, Dejan Lovren’s place is arguably in more jeopardy than Joel Matip’s.

Is Keane a better defender than Lovren? This is the closest of all four calls and we may only know the answer by the end of the season.

What we can say is that Dyche’s conservative approach at Turf Moor gave Keane maximum protection. Koeman will be slightly more adventurous, while Klopp’s methods demand a lot from his defence. Lovren may struggle in this regard at times but we have seen little evidence to suggest Keane would be much better. For now, better the devil you know.

Verdict: Dejan Lovren, just

Davy Klaassen vs Georginio Wijnaldum

Klaassen has been brought in to give Everton goals from midfield, which they will need in abundance if Romelu Lukaku and his 26-goal haul depart this summer as expected. Klaassen, a Dutch international, notched 14 and registered 10 assists in the Eredivise with Ajax last season, improving on his 13 goals and 8 assists from the previous campaign.

The player most comparable to him Liverpool’s side is probably Georginio Wijnaldum, who posted similarly numbers during his eight years in Holland’s top-flight at Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven. It was initially difficult to see where Wijnaldum would fit into Klopp’s thinking following his £23m move from Newcastle United, but he soon established himself as Anfield favourite.

Klaassen could well become Everton’s own Wijnaldum; a hard-working central midfielder with license to roam forward and a penchant for scoring important goals. But would he be a starter at Liverpool? Probably not, especially if Klopp pulls off the signing of RB Leipzig’s Naby Keita.

Verdict: Georginio Wijnaldum

Sandro Ramirez vs Roberto Firmino

Sandro arrives at Everton on a four-year contract from Malaga, for a fee of just £5.3m. It is a cut-price deal for a 21-year-old La Masia graduate who scored 16 goals in 31 appearances last season, one whose potential led to interest from Atletico Madrid. He may not yet be ready to single-handedly replace Lukaku’s scoring output, but Everton will be hoping Sandro is capable of doing so in the years to come.

Would all that be enough for him to move straight into Liverpool’s first team? Roberto Firmino is the closest thing Klopp has to an out-and-out striker and considering how integral he is to Liverpool’s style, Sandro’s chances would be slim. Firmino may be Klopp’s focal point but he offers so much more than that when on song, linking up brilliantly with those running off him. He could, perhaps, score a few more, but Liverpool’s style means goals are shared out fairly equally.

Sandro’s development will be watched closely but for the moment, he simply would not displace Firmino.

Verdict: Roberto Firmino