Julio Arca

Sunderland 's manager Peter Reid signed Arca in 2000 from Argentinos Juniors with a £3.5 million five-year deal, while holding off competition from Newcastle United and Leeds United . [ 8 ] [ 9 ] [ 10 ] It came after Peter Reid spotted him in a U21 match playing against England at Craven Cottage and tracked him until completing the signing in July 2000. [ 8 ] [ 11 ] Upon joining the club, Arca was Reid's most expensive signing of that summer and was then second only behind Stefan Schwarz as the club's record buy. [ 10 ] The youngster was tipped for the brightest of futures and full international honours. [ 4 ] Having missed the first three league matches, due to receiving his Italian passport, he was an immediate success, scoring on his debut at the Stadium of Light against West Ham United . [ 8 ] [ 12 ] [ 13 ] Arca then helped the side keep four consecutive clean sheets throughout October. [ 14 ] [ 15 ] [ 16 ] [ 17 ] The following month, he only played three matches, including scoring against Manchester United , due to his international commitment with Argentina U20. [ 18 ] [ 19 ] [ 20 ] Arca's third goal of the season came on 1 January 2001, in a 4–1 win over Ipswich Town . [ 21 ] However, he missed five matches throughout January because of his continuous international commitment with Argentina U20. [ 22 ] It wasn't until on 10 February 2001 when Arca made his return to the first team, in a 1–1 draw against Liverpool . [ 23 ] Arca played for his previous club and national team at left-back but was successfully converted to left midfield by Reid. [ 8 ] [ 24 ] [ 25 ] [ 26 ] [ 4 ] [ 3 ] Arca scored three times in thirty appearances for the Black Cats in his first season in the Premiership. [ 27 ] For his performance, he won the club's Young Player of the Year award. [ 28 ] [ 4 ] Arca also became a fan favourite among Sunderland supporters. [ 29 ] [ 4 ] At the start of the 2001–02 season, Arca suffered a setback when he suffered a knee injury that saw him miss two ma — Wikipedia