Liverpool Impressively Sign Porto's Raul Meireles For £10.7m
By
Sean Hartnett
(Contributor) on August 27, 2010
In the blink of an eye, Liverpool have captured Portugese defensive midfielder Raul Meireles. The Reds have just completed the sale of Javier Mascherano and wasted little time to find his replacement.
According to The Guardian, the fee paid to FC Porto is said to be £10.7m and would be a great value signing for Liverpool. Although he is thought of as a defensive midfielder first, Meireles is an all-around midfielder who is able to complete long passes. His offensive attributes are vastly superior to Mascherano and he also has the gritty trademarks that the Argentine possesses.
Meireles was one of Portugal's highest-performing players during the 2010 World Cup and has been highly sought-after by top European clubs for years. Barcelona were long linked with Meireles before turning their interest to Mascherano. Many pundits believed that Manchester United would end up with the Portugese hard-man this summer with stories linking them with a swoop before the close of the summer transfer window.
Liverpool have already signed Christian Poulsen, and he and Meireles could form a powerful holding midfield duo that would protect Liverpool's back four and give Steven Gerrard and Joe Cole license to go forward. Rumors are swirling about Lucas Leiva being on the move, so this signing makes perfect sense for the Reds both tactically and financially.
Porto were resigned to losing Meireles as they were afraid that his value would drop too significantly next summer with only a year left on his contract. The £10.7m paid by Liverpool is a knock-down price as his actual worth is much greater. It is a smart buy for Reds' boss Roy Hodgson, who has used the lack of funds available to him wisely.
I remember him from the WC and watching him at Porto, he has awesome skills with the ball and really is a great passer. This was a GREAT signing in my opinion and if he and Poulsen work midfield, we will be in great shape! Well done!
