Premier League News: Liverpool Manager Roy Hodgson happy with his summer buys: Meireles, Poulsen
Roy Hodgson believes that he has managed to build a strong enough squad at Liverpool, and that he has gotten what he wanted by the transfer deadline.
Hodgson said that selling Javier Mascherano to Barcelona and sending Alberto Aquilani off on loan meant that they had to strengthen in midfield. Roy believes for that reason it was very important that the club got hold of Portugal international Raul Meireles and Christian Poulsen. He said that the duo would be great in midfield for the club and would astutely fill the void.
Meireles so far has not played in any league outside Portugal, but Hodgson is confident that his new recruit will be able to adjust to the English game and would be a big hit at Anfield. Hodgson added that as far as Meireles is concerned, he not only has played with success for Porto in the Portuguese domestic league but also has experience in Europe which would be an added advantage.
Hodgson, while talking to Liverpool’s official website, said that after losing Mascherano, it was very important to bring in a midfielder who had experience and Meireles is just the man the club was looking for.
The manager went on to say that the club had the departure of Mascherano in mind, and that that is the reason the club signed Christian Poulsen but that there was still a need to further strengthen the midfield so Meireles was consequently brought in. Hodgson added that the Portuguese international is a very versatile player and has the ability to play anywhere in midfield. The former Fulham boss said that Liverpool scouts had been monitoring the progress of Meireles for a while, and that the team is aware of his capabilities. He said that as soon as he got to know that the midfielder was available the club acted quickly to make the deal.
Hodgson further claimed that the decision to loan out Aquilani was made to help the Italian get more first team action. Hodgson said that the Italian midfielder had not been able to adjust to the English game till now, and needed some good first team football to get his confidence back. The Liverpool boss went on to say that after the loan spell is over the club would love to have Aquilani back in the squad.
Another good buy for Liverpool that the manager is proud of is Paul Konchesky. Roy brought in the defender from his former club Fulham just before the transfer deadline ended. Hodgson said that the 29 year old left back would be a great addition to the team, and would provide cover to the backline. Hodgson said that it was not easy to bring Paul to Anfield. He added that Fulham were not interested in selling him and took some effort to convince them.
Hodgson pointed out that luckily Konchesky was in the final year of his contract, and told the club that he is not interested in signing a new deal and wants to leave.
Roy said that there are not too many quality left-backs in the English game, and he is very happy to have signed an Englishman who can play at that position.
Finally the manager said that overall his squad is good enough to at least get back the 4th spot in the league, and also fancies them to have a good season in the Europa League.
Liverpool managed a disappointing 7th position in the league last season, and the club is in a rebuilding stage. As a result, under their new manager their aspirations have to be tempered somewhat, with attaining a Champions League spot obtaining primacy.
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