Chelsea Transfer News: How Will Raul Meireles Fit into Chelsea's Squad?

In a transfer deadline shocker, Raul Meireles put in a transfer request at Liverpool about 25 minutes before the 11pm GMT deadline. The transfer request obviously followed closely on the heels of Yossi Benayoun’s loan transfer to Arsenal, and Chelsea made the most of the opportunity by completing the deal in dramatic fashion.

Meireles is an excellent signing in that he provides further depth for a midfield that has been struggling for options in recent years. Now that he is officially a member of Chelsea FC, what can we expect from Meireles as he works his way into Andre Villas-Boas’ squad sheet?

Most importantly, Meireles is a flexible option in midfield. He has the potential to play any number of roles in the squad; from advanced, attacking midfield positions to an out-and-out defensive midfield role.

He has a good engine and he is a decent finisher for a midfield player. Most of his goals come by either trailing into the box late, or by taking pot shots from the top of the box—not unlike another member of the Chelsea squad (I am of course speaking of Frank Lampard).

He only scored five goals in 45 appearances for Liverpool, but the goals he scored were vitally important for his club. In particular, I remember a screamer from the top of the box in the meeting between Chelsea and Liverpool last February.

His role on the squad, though, is not so much to score goals as it is to put pressure on the ball, to link up the defense with the attackers, and to show some defensive nous. In this sense, I see Meireles fitting in well in the engine role, now taken by the on-form Ramires.

I do not believe that Meireles will come to Chelsea and start immediately, especially given the form of Ramires.

Most likely, the most important immediate contribution Meireles will make is as cover for injury in any number of positions on the pitch. For Liverpool, he occasionally started as a center-forward when Kenny Dalglish faced injuries to Liverpool’s forward players. Meireles can even play wide if necessary, as he possesses the pace and service to make for a quality right-sided midfielder.

When we combine this flexibility with the injury problems Chelsea faced last season in the middle of the park, it is no wonder that Chelsea decided to complete the signing of Raul Meireles.

Meireles is not especially young, at 28 years old. Given the glut of young players coming into Chelsea lately, however, this may not be a bad sign for the Chelsea squad. Meireles is not coming in as a signing for the future, but rather as a signing for the present.

He is a player that Chelsea need in order to compete this season, and in this sense, I think his age is irrelevant. He will serve as a great addition in Chelsea’s transition from the "old guard" to the youth movement in the coming years.

Whether he can become a regular first-team player or remain on the fringes of the first-team squad remains to be seen.

What Chelsea fans can expect for sure is a gritty, dedicated performance from Meireles every time he sets foot on the pitch. That is something that any fan can appreciate, and it is something that Chelsea will welcome into the squad in the coming days.