Raul Meireles (Fenerbahçe)

Well done Roy on a deal well done. This lad will deffo give us more impetus and along with Stevie, Nando, Joe could tear teams up. Add to that Babel and Pacheco and things are looking good.

Rome wasn't built in a day but this is a good sized piece in place.

Made up....!!

Welcome aboard Raul

OMFG, what a great signing. Respect to Roy I didnt see a sign of this anywhere.

Welcome to England Raul and may your time at the best club in the world be a succesful one!

allright!! Needed this to lift the spirit!

New signing Raul Meireles has spoken of his desire to repay the faith shown in him by Roy Hodgson and help Liverpool get back to the top.

The 27-year-old midfielder has won four titles with Porto and been capped 38 times by Portugal, including in all four of his country's games in this summer's World Cup.

He is determined to show his qualities and be a big success in front of the Kop.

"Liverpool are an historic club and I am happy for the move," said Meireles.

"Roy Hodgson was key because he worked so hard to get me.

"I hope the fans will one day remember me for my success at Liverpool. It has been a long time coming but finally I have achieved my dream of playing in England."

Kopites can get their first glimpse of our new signing today when Raul will be at Anfield to watch the West Bromwich Albion game and he will be introduced to the fans before the game.

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/raul-lfc-move-is-a-dream

Wow we actually signed someone quickly it's a miracle.

Well played roy hodgson - this lad will be epic!!!

welcome raul !!!!!!

Roy Hodgson shows forward thinking by signing Raul Meireles for £10.7m
By the hyper-inflated standards of football's age of excess, the £10.7 million Liverpool will pay FC Porto for Raúl Meireles is barely enough to cause a ripple in the transfer market. Its impact, though, could be seismic.

New strategy: by signing Raul Meireles, Roy Hodgson has identified the weakness which cost Liverpool their status among
Three months after Rafael Benítez was deposed from his Anfield throne, Roy Hodgson's template for Liverpool's renaissance is becoming apparent.
To assert that Meireles, a Portuguese international of considerable repute and, at 27, in the prime of his career, will be a success in the Premier League is to indulge in astrology, but his arrival does at least indicate that Hodgson has identified the weakness which ultimately cost Liverpool their status among Europe's elite and his predecessor his job.
What Liverpool have lacked in recent years – even when the midfield axis of Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso was at its destructive, creative best – is dynamism.
Moving Steven Gerrard into an advanced trequartista role behind Fernando Torres elicited the best from the England international, but came at the cost of robbing Liverpool of impetus from deep, of the thrust particularly vital in the frenetic world of the Premier League.
That is exactly what Meireles provides. First for Boavista, then for Porto and Portugal, his role has been to prompt attacks, not with the range of passing that makes Alonso such a rare gem, but with his relentless energy, his movement, his thrust. Whereas the Basque controlled space, Meireles fills it. If he can replicate the form which earned him the move, the Portuguese will bring an end to the sight of Liverpool lost in stasis.
It is too soon, of course, to suggest that a pairing of Meireles and Christian Poulsen, another new arrival, are suitable heirs for the players so long – and, judging by their new employers, rightly – proclaimed by the Kop as the best midfield in the world. As a duo, though, they possess the characteristics to thrive.
Whereas Mascherano is an attack dog of a midfield player, hunting down and ruthlessly eliminating his targets, Poulsen exists to guard, patrolling in front of the back four, positioning himself and picking off danger. The Dane will control Liverpool's shape, switch the angles of attack. He will play in the horizontal. Meireles adds a vertical element.
Despite the failed flirtation with 4-4-2 at Eastlands, Hodgson seems likely to employ his two most recent signings in the 4-2-3-1 with which the bulk of his squad are familiar. Gerrard will return to his role behind Torres, with the bustle of Dirk Kuyt or the finesse of Maxi Rodríguez on the right.
Joe Cole will, nominally, be stationed on the left, but it is an article of faith with Hodgson to allow his wide players a degree of fluidity. There will be no restrictions on the England player's freedom of movement, as there were in those days at Chelsea where he struggled to impose his authority on games. Liverpool's most naturally gifted technician ought not to be sacrificed.
Yet while the capture of Meireles – and Paul Konchesky, who arrived on Merseyside for a medical on Saturday ahead of a £3 million move – provide an answer to where Liverpool are heading on the pitch, they serve as a reminder that only questions remain off it.
Most poignant, as the transfer window draws to a close, is the inquiry as to why Hodgson's revolution did not begin to take shape until the final weekend of August. He was, after all, supposed to have £12 million to spend upon taking the job, plus whatever money is raised through sales, currently £16 million.
When Mascherano, who arrived in Barcelona on Saturday for his medical, signs for the Spanish champions, the total sum supposedly available to Hodgson should stand at £50 million. Yet the captures of Meireles and Konchesky take the club's outlay this summer to £24.2 million. As always at Liverpool, something does not add up.
Since Benítez decided to sell Robbie Keane back to Tottenham for £16 million in January 2009, Liverpool have recouped some £80 million in sales.
Mascherano's departure will take that figure to £102 million. The Spaniard and Hodgson between them have spent just £59.8 million, when Meireles and Konchesky are factored in, in the last 18 months.
At a club where both Tom Hicks, the co-owner, and Christian Purslow, the managing director, have asserted that the "player fund" is sacrosanct, in theory Hodgson should have £40 million burning a hole in his pocket. It is safe to assume he does not.
For all that Meireles represents a coup for Liverpool, a putsch is required before Hodgson's renaissance can truly take hold.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/7969621/Roy-Hodgson-shows-forward-thinking-by-signing-Raul-Meireles-for-10.7m.html

I am stilll on cloud 9 about this. I can't quite believe it. It also seems that Roy had a huge part to play in the move I.e. working hard to get it through without it being in the media. I am f**king delighted. Doubt he will play against West Brom though . We will probably have to wait until after the international break .

I totally agree mate... think it suggests alot about the right man at the helm... Goin back to the lfc of old and not having every detail mentioned in the media... Lovin it!

Crackin signing and hopefully not the last time he sticks it to UTD!!!! LMAO

Made my day Raul!!!

Fair play on the swiftness of the transfer.  I hope he 'settles' and become a fine player for us.

Hopefully it will be a little bit of a boost for the rest of the squad.

Now get another striker in and I'll feel a little bit more confident about the season ahead.

Great signing this in the midst of all the grimness.

Welcome to the club Raul.

YNWA.

Very good signing agree with jd another striker is essential now.

so how many of the top 5 stars do we need now i sure we only need 1 if i can remember from the link i just cant find it well in roy YNWA IRWT

Credit to Roy on this one. Well dealt with, boss.

Welcome Raul! Great signing.

Welcome Raul

Will he start today?

Welcome Raul

Will he start today?

Brum if anything

there's no pressure on him anyway when he's in the same squad as Lucas

Just ssaw it on Sky Sports news and was like what the F**k?
Kept this one quiet but im pretty delighted with this one! Welcome Raul.

Wow!  What a pleasant surprise!  Sounds quality.  Welcome Raul, and well in Roy!

What a player!!!

Welcome aboard, looking forward to seeing you play.

This is a quality signing and done super quickly
Was impressed with him at the world cup
Hope he settles in quickly

Welcome aboard

Seems to have come from nowhere this one, really surprised and happy with it though, a signing beyond my expectations anyway, didn't expect to sign a player of his quality, especially not so quickly, didn't even know we where linked to him which shows how much the media know.

Would have thought his range of passing and composure on the ball would be the main attributes he brings to the club, hasn't scored too many goals in his career but when he has they've been some terrific strikes, let's hope playing here can bring out more goals in him.

Just showed him on SSN at Anfield to watch the game, really need a win to give him a good impression today.

Refuse to call him Raul "Merelsh" as the Portuguese pronounce it, Meireles sounds a lot better.

Just saw some footage of him standing in the tunnel on LFC TV. Boy, am i excited to see him at Anfield.