£485m. That is the amount that Premier League clubs have spent on new players in this transfer window, a massive £120m increase on last year and also a new Premier League record. Liverpool spent over £60m re-shaping a squad capable of challenging at the top and on deadline day managed to offload fringe players such as Joe Cole, Christian Poulsen and David N’Gog but also sold last seasons PFA Fan’s Player of the Year Raul Meireles to rival club Chelsea. In return Liverpool re-signed former Red Craig Bellamy from Manchester City on a free transfer as well as Sebastian Coates from Uruguayan club Nacional for £12m, so was it good deadline day business?
Joe Cole joined Roy Hodgson’s Liverpool last summer on a free transfer from Chelsea. He was seen as a fantastic signing at the time but after a few games for the Reds it was clear that Hodgson was unsure how to play him or even what position to play him in and as a result he was left out of the team. In January Cole’s former club West Ham United put in a loan bid for him, but he rejected the offer and vowed to fight for his place under new manager Kenny Dalglish. However, he struggled for first-team football under Dalglish and with Maxi finding good form towards the end of the season Cole was rarely involved at all. He left Liverpool yesterday to join French champions Lille having played just 20 games for the Reds and scoring only two goals. Many Liverpool fans feel that Cole was not given enough games to be able to gel with the rest of the team. Cole himself admitted that it hadn’t worked out for him at Anfield, he said: “It hurt me that it did not work out at Liverpool. I am a winner, and it will stay with me that I didn’t have a successful time at the club, because obviously I went with the ambition of being a success.”
Cole is a talented player and can play in various roles but does not have a specified position. Despite his obvious desire to succeed at Anfield he struggled to make any real impact for the Reds. He played most of his games for Liverpool at left-wing, but after the recruitment of Stewart Downing, both he and Maxi would be ahead of Cole for the left-wing position. If he had been given more games and found a position he may well have succeeded at Liverpool, but the Reds need someone who can succeed immediately as Downing looks to be a great signing, so Liverpool were right to let Cole go.
Raul Meireles had a good season for Liverpool last year and was named PFA Fan’s Player of the Year. Despite taking time to settle into English football, he had a run of form over the winter period scoring 5 goals in 6 games, including the winner over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The Portugese international was impressive for Liverpool for most of last season and an ever present in the side, especially after the injury to Steven Gerrard. Against Arsenal this season he came on off the bench and was involved in both goals as Liverpool beat the Gunners 2-0 at the Emirates. But with the Reds signing central midfielders Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson this summer and already having Steven Gerrard, Lucas and Jay Spearing as well as talented youngsters Conor Coady and Fernandez Saez (aka Suso) Meireles would have found first-team opportunities hard to come by. He handed in a transfer request with 30 minutes to go in order to force through a move to Chelsea and was later sold for £12m, which is about the same amount that Liverpool paid Porto for his services.
There has been some criticism of Liverpool allowing Meireles to move to Chelsea as they are a rival team who will be challenging Liverpool at the top. If a player does not want to play for a club, which Meireles clearly didn’t as he handed in a transfer request, then that player should be sold by the club and Dalglish did the right thing by moving him on as no player is bigger than any club. However, that player should not be sold to a rival club. Liverpool fans would have preferred to see Meireles move to a foreign team as by selling him to Chelsea Liverpool are strengthening the Blues squad and potentially giving them a helping hand, which they do not want to do. Having said that, Meireles is a good player but not great and while he did a good job for the Reds last year he would never have been as important, influential or effective a player to Liverpool as either Charlie Adam or Jordan Henderson have already been and will continue to do so.
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yes it was a good day. we got what we needed, and we got rid of what we didn’t need.
Do you think that Meireles handing in his transfer request so late had anything to do with where he was sold??????? Was that his plan????? What real choice of clubs did we have if this is true?
On deadline night it was on the Chelski site that they had told him to put in a transfer request late so that we would let him go cheaply, I also think we have a case for tapping up against them.
I personally think we were the best in the transfer window. Shrewd piece of busineeses by Comolli and KK. Again, hats off to FSG. You guys are a Godsend..really!
He that put his hand on a plough and looks back is not worthy of the kingdom. So also any player that submits a transfer request to his club is no more worthy of that club. Very good that we sold meireles, he shall ever walk alone.
It wasn’t good deadline day!
What a stupid question.
Yes Liverpool got Coats but he was already at Ainfield watching games so I dont think of it as deadline day transfer.
Liverpool lost Meireles to Chelsea, I guess they are not rivals any more, LFC has their rivals lower on the table now.
I expected Liverpool to get someone more offensive if Meireles leaves but not Bellamy!
I was hoping for Affelay, dare I say Adam Johnson who would be available considering all the players City now has.
Yes, some deadwood have floated away but the club is still paying Cole more than most PL players get payed for playing!
First option on Hazard! – I’ve never seen rumor rubbished as fast, and by the club’s president none the less.
Fully agree, apart from Bellamy
Bellamy will be a good squad player,and could offer even more.
If LFC were not aware with the late Transfer request from Meireles, they could have said “NO” and that would have been understandable as they would not have had the time to find a replacement.
I beleive LFC, Meireles and Chelski were negotiating throughout the day. Chelski actually preffered Modric, and even offered the 40 Mill asking fee,which was subsequently rejected. Chelski then had no other option, but to go for Meireles.
LFC only rejected a Player/+Cash offer the day earlier from Chelski. Because of that I can only imagine that Meireles went for a very much larger sum than the one being stated in the press “(12-15 Mill)- actually undisclosed”.
I can only imagine that LFC sanctioned this in the last minute having already agreed a very much larger sum, most likely 20 Mill+.
It was all pre-planned between LFC, Meireles and Chelski
I think selling Meireles to chelski was a big BIG mistake by Liverpool. As already mentioned in an earlier comment we have gone ahead and improoved their team. I agree that once a player puts in his transfer request, we should let him go, but not in this case.
Meireles is the type of palyer that Chelski have been lacking. Tosseres has not been firing, not because he his crap, but because of the service he has been getting from Lampard.
Meireles wil change that. His positioning of balls from the center will feed Tosseres, who in turn preferes to receive and play through the center, not from the wings as he has from Lamapard. I hate to say this, but I can see Tosseres starting to score. It will hate to see him scoring soon and kissing his plastic badge.
It was a bad experience not to reinvest 16 m. in a winger or a playmaker. Bellamy is not a serious decision …. The last day was the worst transfer day for Liverpool FC this summer, regardless of all the positives related to offloading of flops. It was a day of missed margin making.
Reinvest the 16mil? Wait, did you not pay attention all summer? They spent some 60 million on Adam, Henderson, Downing, Enrique, Coates and Bellamy. That’s where your 16mil went, making up some of the balance.
Besides, the team is fine. They’ll fight for 3rd with Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham, probably end up 3rd or 4th this year. Without Champions League they were never going to get the biggest names now. They’ve got good players all over the field with half-decent replacements in every position. Only worries involve injuries.
Meireles going was hard to swallow. Always believed we would lose one of Meireles or Aqualani but not both. To me they both bring flair, skill and something special to the team. with the British players in the squad and a bit of flair I believed we had balance. But with both gone I am less convinced.
Meireles thing started early in the summer. With all the new mid fielders, the speculation of him going to Italy etc. Then the Chelsea rumor surfaced a month or so back. also remember he had the issue with his salary, he earning peanuts compared to the peanut Joe Cole. His increase in wages was performanced based, and nobody can deny he was one of our better players last year. His request for transfer was to be expected. Leading up to deadline day, Chelsea and Liverpool were talking, the price Pool wanted and what Chelsea offered was a bit off. How do you force Pools hand? Hand in a transfer. That is part of modern football. You were a good servant of the club for 1 season, thanks but cheers.
But to say that… Meireles would never have been as important, influential or effective a player to Liverpool as either Charlie Adam or Jordan Henderson have already been and will continue to do so. The season is 3 games young and you reckon Adams and Henderson have been influential and effective. Lets pass judgement on these things after a season.
Cheers
Meireles will be missed, beginning at Stoke away. Without Gerrard, Liverpool’s center mid players are ordinary; stong at chasing down and tackling, and the occasional through ball to Luis or Bellamy, sure. Not good enough to hold possession and work forward on the ground. Adam and Henderson mean more long balls forward. Raul’s world is on the ground and creative. Big loss. Can anyone imagine United selling a player with Raul’s quality to a bitter rival? NEVER. Chelsea have sealed 3rd, possibly higher if Raul unpacks Torres. We must now hope Arsenal falter, and Spurs too.
As for summer spending? 55 million spent, roughly, 22 million re-couped from sales, and 30 million in wages reduced. What spending? Don’t get me wrong; much better than the cowboys. But real ambition would have meant an RM with threat or a genuine No. 10. This squad was built to go 4th and no higher. Hopefully we’ll have more ambition after winning CL footy.
James,
“Without Gerrard, Liverpool’s center mid players are ordinary; stong at chasing down and tackling” You got that spot on. “Not good enough to hold possession and work forward on the ground. Adam and Henderson mean more long balls forward. Raul’s world is on the ground and creative. Big loss.” Again, I can’t help but agree with you. “Can anyone imagine United selling a player with Raul’s quality to a bitter rival?” Over Alex Ferguson’s dead body. “Chelsea have sealed 3rd, possibly higher if Raul unpacks Torres.” If we don’t make the top four this season, we only have Dalglish to blame for his obsession with British players; who will only end up getting him the sack, and brought back down to reality.