Filed under: Liverpool, Premier League, Football, Transfer News
There is no denying that Raul Meireles's transfer to Chelsea makes reasonable business sense for Liverpool - but how much footballing sense is involved in the decision?Liverpool bought the 28-year-old last summer and he made 44 appearances before his £12 million departure to Chelsea as the transfer window reached frantic new heights in its closing stages on Wednesday evening.
Just as most print journalists had begun filing their copy for the evening, it was announced by Liverpool that Meireles would be on his way for £500,000 more than the club paid FC Porto for his services last year.
Making a profit on a 28-year-old, however small, is financially astute but why have Liverpool allowed Meireles to go?
The player has clearly grown less certain of his place at Anfield following the arrival of a clutch of midfielders this summer and submitted a transfer request in order to grease the wheels of the deal. Liverpool, however, now look short of game changers from the bench.
Meireles's impact as a substitute in the two Premier League games he played for Liverpool this year was noticeable and Kenny Dalglish cannot really claim to be overwhelmed by players who can come on and help turn a game in a similar manner as Meireles did against Arsenal a fortnight ago.
And that means Liverpool could rue that decision to let him go when, during a tight, tense goalless encounter later this season, they look to the bench and see only Jay Spearing smiling back at them.
With Joe Cole also leaving Liverpool on deadline day for French champions Lille, it is becoming clear that Dalglish has passed judgement on the squad he inherited and, in some areas, is only interested in using men he has signed himself at Anfield.
In principle there is nothing wrong with that and Dalglish is not the first manager to adopt that policy but to have allowed the Portuguese international to go, especially when he wanted to remain, seems to be shortsighted.
Earlier in the day, Craig Bellamy returned to Anfield on a two-year deal but should a 28-year-old have been allowed to go and a 32-year-old with terrible knee history brought in instead?
Bellamy is a proven goal threat in the Premier League, has clearly been looking to leave Manchester City for some time and as a former Liverpool player he is likely to settle quickly under Dalglish's regime.
But Bellamy has had continued and chronic knee troubles in the past - his medical took three hours to complete as Liverpool expressed concerns about his condition - and there is no denying he will not be able to feature in a large part of Liverpool's season.
Bellamy is expected to be used as back-up to regular striking partners Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll and his Premier League track record suggests he will score goals and cause problems for opposition sides.
Yet after spending so much money in a planned and orchestrated way in the early part of the transfer window, the ad hoc nature of Bellamy's arrival - and Meireles's departure - seems to suggest that Liverpool's transfer structure is not as planned as previously thought.
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