Have we found our “new Alonso”?
Liverpool’s new signing Raul Meireles could be described as a “powerful playmaker” and an “all round midfielder.” In some ways he is similar to Xabi Alonso and in others he is more like Javier Mascherano, but in any case we have found a top class midfielder for a good price. The €14m (£11.5m) that was agreed for the player was due to the fact Meireles only had a year left on his contract and the transfer went through very quickly. Once it was clear that Mascherano was leaving for Barcelona, Hodgson moved quickly and a bid was made for the Portuguese international on Friday night, as revealed in the Guardian. By Sunday afternoon he was presented to the crowd at Anfield for Liverpool’s match against West Brom, being handed the number four shirt vacated by Alberto Aquilani.
Meireles first came to prominence in the European Under 16 Championships with Portugal in 2000 and made his senior debut for Aves in 2001. After 2 seasons, he returned to Boavista where he spent a time as a youth player, and after playing just one season with the club, he attracted the interest of his hometown club Porto. After a difficult start to his spell with his new club where he started a fair few games at left back, he came into his own during the 2005/06 season playing alongside Lucho Gonzalez in central midfield. He helped the team win the league, Portuguese Cup and Super Cup during that season.
He went on to win 3 more league titles in his next four years with Porto, and in 2009 his club won their fourth championship in a row. Meireles also made an impression in the Champions League, scoring against Chelsea in the 2006/07 campaign, as well as facing Liverpool the following season. At international level he didn’t really get a look in until qualifying for Euro 2008. He scored his first international goal against Turkey in the tournament and subsequently became a regular during Carlos Queiroz’s side campaign to qualify for the World Cup in South Africa. He scored the decisive goal in qualifying against Bosnia in the crucial play-off match and started off the scoring in the 7-0 rout against North Korea at the tournament in June.
So what sort of player will we be getting? As I said above he is most certainly an all round midfielder. Meireles loves to get stuck into a physical battle. He has a high work rate and is a dynamic, dominant force in the centre of midfield. Although not an imposing player at 5ft 10, he is not a character to be messed with, and he has been criticised in Portugal for his uncompromising style. This however is only one side of his game. He is also an incredibly classy midfield player in the style of Alonso. Like the Spaniard he is known for his long raking diagonal balls, and his range of passing is second to none. Although he is not renowned for scoring that regularly, he is capable of scoring spectacular goals and can chip in a few important ones when needed (e.g Portugal v Bosnia).
This man has really come into his own over the last two years and is now an essential member of the Portugal side. He played more minutes than anyone else in qualifying for the World Cup in South Africa and for Porto he has been their central playmaker for the last four years. At 27, he is getting into the prime of his career and let’s hope he continues his excellent form at Liverpool
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Newcastle News 24/7
August 31st, 2010
BREAKING NEWS!!!!!
I HAVE MY BROTHER WHO WORKS FOR REUTERS IN GERMANY,
GOMEZ HAS HANDED IN A TRANSFER REQUEST TO JOIN LIVERPOOL.
HE WANTS TO MOVE ON AND SIGN A 3 YEAR DEAL, BUT LIVERPOOL WANT A LOAN DEAL WITH A VIEW TO BUY.
THERES THE PROBLEM, GOMEZ HAS SAID THAT IS OK BUT BAYERN WANT CASH, AROUND 11 MILLION.
WE HAVE AORUND 8 MILLION TO SPEND, UNLESS LUCUS GOES TO STOKE FOR AROUND 6 MILLION AND INSUA DOES AT LAST GO FOR AROUND 4.25 MILLION.
I KNOW THIS AS TRUE INFORMATION, SO PLEASE DONT TELL ME THIS IS RUBBISH, IT MIGHT NOT COME OFF BUT ITS TRUE. LIVERPOOL ARE ALSO TRYING TO TIE UP A DEAL FOR A WINGER, BUT CANNOT DO ANYTHING UNTILL BABEL OR AND LUCUS GO OR ARE SWAPPED… YET AGAIN THESE OWNERS HAVE LIED TO ALL OF US AND SAID WE WILL SPEND BIG! …. ITS JUST MADNESS..
August 31st, 2010
If we must send Insua to Galatassary why did we not make a move for Turan at the same time! Come on Roy, times a ticking!!!
August 31st, 2010
I for one hope he has more quality than both Aloso And Mash The two combined had a dread full goal tally. Neither were good enough to enable Gerrard to play central Midfield. What we need is
another Haman,who scored goals and did what Mash and Alonso did all in one player.
August 31st, 2010
Looks to me as if yanks plan on profiting out of yet another transfer window, hope all bidders cotton on and lower their bids.
If Roy does have the money from sales spend it he will never get it back.
I would like to see Toivonen and 12 mill should be affordable with Babel leaving.
September 1st, 2010
i cant believe we have now bought a striker no excuse, roys first big mistke and what a whopper ! also his judgment is called into question if its true he tried to buy pavlechenko who is another morientes two slow for the premiership but even he is better han no striker – very very poor show roy
September 1st, 2010
Waiting to see him play with reds jersey.
December 12th, 2010
So here is the source of the constant reference to Meireles as a box-to-box midfielder, eh?
I was left scratching my head when poster after poster kept on insisting that Meireles is such a player, when i have never seen him playing in that manner after years of watching the Portuguese league…
lol