Raul Meireles Out: When Did Liverpool Become a Feeder for Chelsea?

When Liverpool plays Chelsea in November, Liverpool fans are hoping for three things: Liverpool wins, Fernando Torres does not score and Raul Meireles gets to hear the travelling Kop Choir sing, “You should have stayed at a big club…."

The 11th hour transfer of midfielder, and 2010’s PFA Fans’ Player of the Year, Raul Meireles strikes an eerie resemblance to Chelsea’s last-minute pilfering of Fernando Torres from Liverpool last year.

With an overcrowded midfield with the arrivals of Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson, Meireles knew his playing time would only decrease as youngsters like Jay Spearing are given the nod and talisman Steven Gerrard recovers fully from injury.

Having been sold by Andre Villas-Boas when he was at the helm of Porto, Meireles looks to be reunited with a coach that would probably give him more minutes on the pitch than King Kenny Daglish.

Just like last year, as Scousers along the Merseyside were starting to imagine the possibilities with the incoming players in this transfer window, a last-minute request was handed in by a Liverpool player who was an effective fan favorite.

Last-minute transfers are always happening, but this is back to back years Liverpool lost a quality player to their league rival at Stamford Bridge. His name added to the list of former Kop heroes, Yossi Benayoun and Fernando Torres. If the January transfer window comes and another Liverpool player moves to Chelsea, that would mark four consecutive pilfering windows in a row.

If this is truly a rivalry, this should not sit well for both sets of supporters.

Meireles, 28, is currently recovering from a collarbone injury. While he walks on to London, he leaves a midfield with plenty of coverage—and considering the depth at Chelsea, some will argue the move is merely from one bench to another. But having played under Villas-Boas before, Meireles potentially has a few more years to shine for Chelsea.

His first year was his best year in the Premiership, and that was only last season. Fans at Anfield have mixed feelings about this move, as losing a popular player to a rival should never sit well.

Fans on the Merseyside can only seek solace in the £12 million fee reinvested into the likes of Craig Bellamy and Sebastian Coates.