Meireles set the record straight on leaving Liverpool
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Chelsea land Raul Meireles in dramatic raid
LATE SHOW ... Raul Meireles hand in a written transfer request yesterday evening, opening the door for Chelsea to make their moveCHELSEA hit Liverpool with another last-ditch raid as they landed Raul Meireles for £12million.
The move echoed the Blues' swoop for Fernando Torres just minutes before the close of the January transfer window.
Portuguese midfielder Meireles slammed in a written transfer request yesterday evening, opening the door for Chelsea to make their move.
The 28-year-old star briefly played under Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas at Porto.
The Stamford Bridge club had hoped Meireles, who signed a four-year deal, would be joined by left-back Alvaro Pereira.
But Chelsea were unable to reach an agreement with Porto before the 11pm deadline.
Chelsea reportedly had a bid rejected for Meireles yesterday. But, having seen numerous mega-money offers turned down for Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric, they appeared to meet Liverpool's asking price.
Meireles was named the PFA Fans' Player of the Year after an impressive maiden season at Anfield last term but was deemed surplus to requirements by manager Kenny Dalglish.
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dalglish dropped the former fans player of the year?
btw is he any good?
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Well, he came on and help Pool beat Arsenal 2 weeks ago though... So should be good or you don't become the fans player of the year for being poor i guess... It seems like Kenny don't really like foreigners if he got a uk choice...
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Meireles was bought by Roy and well used by Ken.
But, Raul know the direction of Ken in building a all british team for Liverpool.
So, his chances to play will be limited.
He is a good player to unlock stubborn defence and his situation awareness to create goal and assist is excellent.
Liverpool have only him for this creative streak and the approach of the rest of the players are more direct.
Hope he will not end up like Benny in warming the bench.
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If Obi Mikel plays so many matches, I doubt Meireles will get lesser chances than him...
AVB is moving away from the old Chelsea style and creating his new Porto... Chelsea's midfield could very soon become...
Ramires , Meireles , Essien
Anelka , Torres, Juan Mata
Very soon Frank Lampard could become a squad player once Essien is back...
I think Pool will regret letting him go as he could get even better after his first season of experienced gain...
And AVB is building his Spanish / Portuguese speaking players up pretty nicely... lol. Torres could benefit greatly from Meireles and Mata's arrival...
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Yeah AVB building his own squad... but I still want to see Malouda+Kalou out of the squad... damn.. why Kalouda still here.
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Originally posted by Y_Shun:
Yeah AVB building his own squad... but I still want to see Malouda+Kalou out of the squad... damn.. why Kalouda still here.
Wah Kalouda... Hybrid ah ?
And the commentary team is going to have a little problem pronouncing Ramires and Meireles in quick succession if they pass the ball between themselves...
Ramires ... Meireles ... Ramires ... lol...
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I did not join Chelsea for the money, says new signing Meireles
No Judas: Raul Meireles left Liverpool for Chelsea on deadline day said he will explain the reason later as... 'Things are still fresh.'
Raul Meireles insists he is no 'Judas' after trading Liverpool for Chelsea.
A shock written transfer request submitted in the final hour before Wednesday night's deadline paved the way for the Portugal midfielder to make the switch to Stamford Bridge.
It also brought criticism from sections of the Liverpool support, but 28-year-old Meireles has defended his conduct and stressed the move was not motivated by money.
'These are things that happen in football. I can only say good things about Liverpool. It was a fantastic year,' Meireles told Radio e Televisao de Portugal.
'People think I am a Judas and that it was because of the money. It was not because of that. I will explain it later. Things are still fresh.'
Meireles had fallen down the pecking order at Anfield after manager Kenny Dalglish's summer recruitment drive saw Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson added at great expense to an already-congested central midfield area.
New challenge: Meireles plays for Portugal against Cyprus on Friday night
Despite the exit on loan of Alberto Aquilani, for a second successive season, and Joe Cole, Meireles had no hesitation in linking up again with Andre Villas-Boas, under whose management he previously played at Porto.
'It all happened very fast,' he continued. 'I am not the only one to blame for my exit from Liverpool, but I will never stop loving the club and I have great friends there.
'The most important thing is to give my all every time and try to help Chelsea win titles.'
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David Luiz delighted with Raul Meireles' arrival from Liverpool & believes Chelsea will win trophies this season
The former Benfica ace has described the Portuguese international's impact as "sensational", and is convinced that manager Andre Villas-Boas will succeed in England
Chelsea defender David Luiz has revealed his delight with the club's deadline day capture of Raul Meireles.
The Brazilian himself only recently arrived at the club, and he believes the arrival of Meireles will have a big impact on the team.
“We have made good signings and I think Raul Meireles can be a big player for us,” the defender told reporters.
“We played against each other in Portugal and he was difficult to stop. It is sensational he can increase our level on the pitch.
“Every day we are getting better and I bet we will have success this season.”
Meireles joins a Portuguese-speaking legion of players and staff at Stamford Bridge, led by new boss Andre Villas-Boas.
“It is easy when the manager also speaks my language," David Luiz continued.
“During training sometimes he speaks Portuguese to the Portuguese speakers and it's easier to understand. Maybe we could use it as a secret tactic in matches.”
The 24-year-old may only be nine years his manager’s junior, but he is sure Villas-Boas has what it takes succeed.
“Villas-Boas deserves to be in charge at Chelsea and I am convinced he will succeed in England," he said.
“Every coach has a different style of work. Andre is different to [Carlo] Ancelotti and I am hoping for more success than last season.”
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Raul Meireles insists he never wanted to leave Liverpool
CHECKING IN ... Raul MeirelesRAUL MEIRELES has insisted he never wanted to leave Liverpool.
The Portugal midfielder completed a £12million switch to Chelsea minutes before the transfer window shut last week, reuniting him with former Porto boss Andre Villas-Boas.
There were eerie similarities with Fernando Torres' January transfer between the clubs, with Liverpool reporting in both cases that a transfer request had been received.
That is normally read as a sign that a player is trying to force a move.
But Meireles, 28, said: "When I was in Porto, I knew I wanted to go and the club wanted to sell me — and I made the right choice last year to come to Liverpool.
"This year, though, was different because I knew I didn't want to go.
"I felt Liverpool's new owners didn't want to sell me but when I knew that Chelsea and Andre wanted me, it convinced me."
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ccb available.
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Its a mistake for Liverpool to sell him and its another mistake Kenny makes by putting Charlie Adam ahead of him....
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He is the only player in Liverpool who can create miracle when put on the pitch.
His departure will spell trouble for Liverpool as proven in the last night game with Stoke City.
The midfielders are just bulldozing the defence with no brain and no aim.
Raul left Liverpool, knowing that Kenny is building his UK empire and diluting the foreign players.
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Oh well, at least it's working out well for him now over at Chelsea... He has became a creative spark that they were lacking previously... He has made the missing out on Modric not so bad...
His pass to Daniel Sturridge yesterday was just a classic man... A through ball cut out the whole Sunderland defence for Sturridge to score the winner... These 2 players earned Chelsea the 3 points or it could have ended in a draw...
And to think these 2 players could have been Liverpool's had Kenny took one during the Torres deal and kept the other last month...
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Liverpool lied to me! Meireles hits out at former club over broken promises
Speaking out: Meireles blasted his former club Liverpool over broken promises
Raul Meireles has accused Liverpool of a broken promise and claimed he was forced to submit a transfer request once they had decided to sell him to Chelsea.
Meireles completed his £12million move to Stamford Bridge in the final minutes of transfer deadline day almost two weeks ago, a switch that angered many Reds supporters.
The 28-year-old revealed upon signing for Chelsea that he had never wanted to leave Anfield and that he would eventually explain why he had done so.
He attempted to set the record straight this afternoon after being officially unveiled as a Blues player, appearing to give credence that he was promised a 100 per cent pay rise at Liverpool if he impressed during what was his debut season.
'All I have to say is that I had one promise at Liverpool which wasn't fulfilled,' said the midfielder, who certainly lived up to his side of the bargain after joining the Reds from Porto.
'It's not the only thing to blame. But that's why the Liverpool fans are unsure why I left.'
He added: 'Liverpool asked me to hand in a transfer request, so that's normal.'
Meireles admitted he was stunned to discover he had been made available for transfer.
'I was aware that Liverpool wanted to sell me in the summer, which was a bit surprising to me,' said Meireles, who was reluctant to discuss his relationship with Reds boss Kenny Dalglish.
'There's no point touching this subject any more.
'I was a bit surprised, but now I'm just concentrating on my present and future, and that's with Chelsea.'
Indeed, Meireles was delighted to have ended up at Stamford Bridge.
'When Chelsea showed interest, it was like a golden opportunity,' he said.
'I'm here now, it's a new adventure, and I want to do well here.'
Meireles' move reunited him with Andre Villas-Boas, who he worked under during pre-season a year ago before joining Liverpool.
He said: 'I worked under Andre for one month at Porto, so I felt that there's the same mentality here as there was at Porto - the desire to win competitions and trophies. With Andre, we can do that.
'In one month, it was enough to see how he works and his desire to win things. So it wasn't hard to make the decision to come to Chelsea.'
Meireles made an instant impact on his Chelsea debut on Saturday, a brilliant through ball setting up Daniel Sturridge's outrageous backheeled goal at Sunderland.
Portugal international Meireles was coy on whether his year in England had made him better prepared for the rigours of a Barclays Premier League title challenge.
'I had one year to adapt to the Premier League, but it's two different clubs and different styles,' said Meireles, who was hoping to make his Champions League bow for Chelsea in tomorrow night's Group E opener against Bayer Leverkusen.
'We chase different competitions, and I just hope I can achieve things here at Chelsea.'
Future's bright: Raul Meireles poses with his new Chelsea shirt alongside manager Andre Villas-Boas
Golden opportunity: Meireles insists he is delighted to be at Stamford Bridge now
On the ball: Meireles made his Chelsea debut in the weekend Premier League win at Sunderland