Will Meireles be missed?

[Wxgba 306]

If you fail to sign Luka Modric, try and try again. And then at the last minute turn to Raul Meireles...

After months of chasing the Croatian midfielder; the player himself handing in a formal transfer request and still not getting any further, Chelsea needed to look into alternative options. On "Deadline Day", with hours remaining in the 11/12 transfer window, Meireles handed in a transfer request and found himself signing for Chelsea not long after, where he was reacquainted with André Villas-Boas.

Meireles conceded that he didn't want to leave Liverpool, but the chance to work with his old friend AVB was too good to refuse. So Chelsea forked out a reported £12m for a player that wasn't exactly wanting to come to Stamford Bridge. It's fair to say he wasn't welcomed with open arms. Not initially, anyway.

Although he was a last-minute coup for Chelsea, Meireles' services were desperately needed with Michael Essien having suffered a long-term injury. He was thrown straight in at the deep end and struggled to make an impression. However, as the season progressed he grew in confidence and succeeding in winning over the fans (just about). He was an integral part of the team that managed to overcome the might and force of Barcelona, even sacrificing himself playing in the Champions League final (of which Geoff Shreeves was the first to remind him) by taking down Mascherano on the halfway line to save his team-mates from a counter-attack. That moment of self-sacrifice is one of the few moments that will remain in the memory of many Chelsea fans, alongside that goal against Benfica en route to Munich. What. a. goal.

Having signed for a rumoured £8m at Fenerbahçe, Meireles leaves a tender Chelsea midfield looking even more depleted. As Meireles prepares for bigger, better and hostile things in Turkey, his ex-colleagues in Lampard, Mikel, Ramires, Romeu and even Brazilian wonderkid, Oscar, are left to fight it out for the two "double-pivot" spots in Di Matteo's 4-2-3-1. With five players fighting for two places, you would think there's a lot of cover and strength in depth. Oh how numbers are deceiving...

There's a lot of question marks surrounding those five players. Mikel and Romeu are the only two distinguished, out-and-out defensive midfielders out of the bunch, both of whom still have a lot to learn. Mikel has severely improved over the years, but he's still not a definite name on the teamsheet. Lampard fought valiantly for the remainder of last season in a position that doesn't best suit him, and it could be argued that the formation isn't to his taste, either. Ramires is full of energy and would probably be best modelled as a box-to-box midfielder, though he's been deployed in more attacking roles since Di Matteo came in (perhaps because Chelsea were lacking the personnel last season...) which has only been effective on a few very notable occasions. *cough* Chip over Valdes in the Camp Nou. *cough* And lastly, Oscar, the £25m youngster who is yet to cement a stronghold within the starting line-up, and that's without considering the fact that he's more effective further up the pitch.

It's not as if there's a Claude Makélélé within the Chelsea ranks anymore, or even more recently, a Michael Essien. There's a lot of competition for the midfield spots, yes, but we're yet to witness someone make that position their own. (Now's your time, Oriol!) That being said, I don't think letting Meireles go is as severe as many are making it out to be, but I do find the decision to let Meireles leave with no time to find a replacement rather baffling. I don't think we'll miss him per se, but I'll miss having the occasional chuckle at his haircuts - if you can call them that - and I'm grateful for his work ethic and his efforts during his time at Stamford Bridge. Don't forget he played a big part in the side that brought home the Champions League... and they will never be forgotten.

Thank you and good luck, Raul.

If you click here you can see Greg's own blog; Swing It In, Son! for more articles!

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[Santiago. 1,500]

-----------Torres----------

Hazard----------------Mata

------Oscar--Ramires----

-----------Romeu-------------

-----------Sturridge----------

Marin------------------Moses

-----------Lampard------------

----Romeu----------Mikel

-----------

[Thor 2,117]

Lampard gives too much away defensively, which is why I liked Meireles in our team. He was great at frustrating the other team, and stopping their link up play.

Romeu, I'm not sure about, he is still too young. Though he could prove me wrong. Mikel I'm happy with each week. He will have a bad game occasionally but who doesn't. He is a must on the teamsheet for me.

Just not sure who else can play next to Mikel. Give Oscar a go I guess. Ramires can slot in and have a go too...

[Ankit 3,176]

Thank you Mereiles for being outstanding against Barca at camp nou and against Benfica. Those performances for us will never be forgotten. Well, atleast we can expect more games from Romeu, and Ramires can come in at the center, also Oscar can fit in as the deep lying playmaker.

[coolhead23 1,146]

In the current situation he would be missed. Meireles is not a star player but he is a very good squad player to have specially when we are so less players in that position. Lampard cannot be given start in all the games, Romeu is pretty decent but he is clearly not RDM's fav, Mikel cannot be trusted when it comes to consistency, Oscar would take some time to get used to the premier league but then looks like our manager wants him to play behind the striker & not so deep and Essien gone. What a brilliant piece of move the board has done!!!

Last season we were screaming for creativity and feeding our offense, we got them these season but now we trying to break the bridge between the offense and defense.

[communicate 2,703]

I think we are going to miss him this season but at the same time I think we need a better cm in the future so it's a good business.

Romeu is not mobile so he is a kinda direct replacement for mikel, and I am not sure about playing ramires as double pivot especially with mikel. Ramires is extremely mobile but his passing is not great

[nachikethas 1,149]

what the hell is going on... we need some mature players at this time.. we need evalution not revolution

[Muzchap 8,964]

One word : YES

He had an outstanding game against Newcastle and I thought finally the boys coming good, then dropped and sold.

I hope (really hope) RDM knows what he is doing!

[nachikethas 1,149]

i think he knows torres well(FA cup matches)..now the blondy is only our option we selling him is a bad idea for me..

[capriccioso 2,545]

Yes. As others have said, he may not be a star, but squad players are vital. Guys like Meireles are among the best squad players going around and we have no suitable replacement for him.

Lampard

Mikel

Ramires

Lol

Lol x2.

So that's our centre midfield options. 3 players, an unproven youngster, and Slo Mo Flo Mo.

[BleedsBlue 1,549]

I know we are bad with goodbyes but the guy had to leave sooner or later and well 8m for an inconsistent 29 year old is not a bad deal at all. Plus I am sure he wanted to be more than just a squad player at a a team,he now has the chance to be a regular starter so its a win-win situation for both parties.

[capriccioso 2,545]

I know we are bad with goodbyes but the guy had to leave sooner or later and well 8m for an inconsistent 29 year old is not a bad deal at all. Plus I am sure he wanted to be more than just a squad player at a a team,he now has the chance to be a regular starter so its a win-win situation for both parties.

It's a loss for us.

We have only 3 reliable midfielders now. And we'll have to soldier on with those 3 for the next 4 months, hoping they don't get suspended or injured.

[BleedsBlue 1,549]

It's a loss for us.

We have only 3 reliable midfielders now. And we'll have to soldier on with those 3 for the next 4 months, hoping they don't get suspended or injured.

I am sure RDM has it all planned out so there is really no need to get so worried.Keep Calm and Trust RDM.

[Drogzola 283]

He was never a favorite player of mine so I don't mind seeing the back of him. I know the timing isn't great but now we might be forced into making a big signing in January. His passing was average and was not really great at anything really. He did have the ability to pull off a wonder strike now and then but we need more from our players. I doubt we will go into this sale without the right plan behind it.

[Pacquiao 1,834]

all depends if Romeu or Oscar or even Ramires step up into the double pivot role and make it their own!

[capriccioso 2,545]

I have my doubts on Romeu. I'm not sure if Oscar can play there as well and the less said about a Lampard-Ramires duo in the pivot, the better.

[Naked Mole Rat 437]

I'd actually say that Meireles had a good start to his Chelsea career and got worse as the season progressed. Anyway, he was one of the first players I wanted to see gone this summer, but nonetheless, it was a shocking decision to let him go this late without any proper replacement. I guess what led the club to do that was that Meireles, a mediocre 29-year-old midfielder, had 4 years left on his contract, but still. Will we miss him? I hope not. It all depends on how our remaining players do. I don't think Meireles had a whole lot to offer, but he still gave us a decent option in the midfield, and judging by his performance against Newcastle, I think he deserved a chance to prove that he could solve our midfield problems.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

I completely agree with Greg. I don't think we will miss him because of his abilities or talents, but we are likely to miss another body in midfield, especially if we get hit by injuries.