Liverpool Are Right To Reject Chelsea's Interest In Raul Meireles

Liverpool's decision to turn down Chelsea's offer of £8 million plus Yossi Benayoun for midfielder Raul Meireles seems to indicate the Portuguese is finally the flavour of the month at Anfield.

Meireles's short Liverpool career has been a strange one.

He arrived at the beginning of last season from FC Porto for £11.5 million and played 43 games for the club yet never really seemed to win over a section of the Liverpool hierarchy and fanbase.

In fact, Meireles was widely believed to be available for transfer earlier this summer when it seemed obvious that Kenny Dalglish was attempting to rebuild the Liverpool midfield.

The arrivals of Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing appeared to sound the death-knell for Meireles's Liverpool future.

That trio, along with Lucas and Jay Spearing plus the return of Steven Gerrard from injury meant it was hard to see how Meireles would be squeezed into the Liverpool line-up.

However, Liverpool has now rejected Chelsea's approach for Meireles which indicates that his worth is finally being appreciated.

Meireles missed last weekend's win over Bolton due to a collarbone injury but he has played influential cameos in both of the Premier League games he has featured in this season.

He was particularly important against Arsenal when he came off the bench with 19 minutes to go and helped change the game for the visitors.

Meireles has rarely had an off-day in a Liverpool shirt, he has always spoken off his delight at being at Anfield and seems determined to prove he can still be a hit in the Premier League.

And the very fact that Chelsea is interested in the player should be another reason to keep hold of him.

Stamford Bridge manager Andre Villas-Boas briefly got to know Meireles last season before he joined Liverpool and yet despite only having worked with him for a short while, he has seen enough to be convinced he is the player Chelsea require.

Villas-Boas has already shown he has an eye for a player and keeping him out of the clutches of a fellow Premier League rival should be an added incentive for Dalglish to hang on to him.

Of course, Liverpool may well just be playing hardball with Chelsea and may well let him go if they can squeeze another two or three million out of the London club.

But it seems wrong to consider letting such a quality player go.

And especially a quality player who has never agitated for a move or given anything less than 100 per cent.