I never wanted to leave Liverpool – but one thing changed everything

Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from Echo or go back to LFC Live.

The former Liverpool star opened up on how one factor played a huge part in his career trajectoryFormer Liverpool star Raul Meireles previously insisted he didn't actually want to leave Liverpool for Chelsea in 2011. That was until Chelsea, fresh under the stewardship of Villas Boas, who had worked with Meireles at Porto, decided to swoop for the player on the summer deadline day of 2011 for £12m.The transfer drew eerie parallels with Fernando Torres' £50m move to Chelsea, which occurred six months earlier, with Liverpool having reported in both cases that a transfer request had been submitted.Yet Meireles was adamant there was no bad blood involved this time and that it was purely down to the chance to work with Villas-Boas once again.Speaking after his move to Stamford Bridge, he said: “When I was in Porto, I knew that I wanted to go and the club wanted to sell me, and I only had to wait for the right choice.“I made the right choice last year to come to England and to come to Liverpool and this year was different because I knew that I didn’t want to leave Liverpool.

I felt that the new owners didn’t want to sell me, but when I knew that Chelsea and Andre wanted me, it convinced me.“It was strange, because I knew of the interest of Chelsea, and the interest of the coach, and it was a pleasure to come to this club but it was strange because it was on the last day. The people think that I wanted to leave and it is only because Chelsea wanted me.

For Andre to want me, that is why I wanted to go.“I have a lot of friends here, Portuguese players that I know from Porto and the national team, and Jose Bosingwa helped me a lot in these first days. I know that Chelsea is a great club, one of the best clubs in the world, and it is not too difficult to convince me to come."Like Torres, Meireles arrived at Chelsea having proven a thorn in their side down the years.