Everton endured an eventful summer window ahead of the 2004/05 Premier League season.
With Everton threatening to be a top six club this season in the Premier League, Ronald Koeman will know that this summer could be crucial as they try to make the signings that are going to take the Toffees to the next level.
With that in mind, HITC Sport is taking a look back at some of the eventful transfer windows Everton have endured and enjoyed down the years, with this piece looking back at the summer window of 2004.
The previous season
The 2003/04 season was another disappointing one for Everton with David Moyes’ men finishing 17th in the table, six points clear of the bottom three. The continued emergence of a certain Wayne Rooney seemingly gave Toffees supporters something to look forward to heading into the new campaign, especially given his stunning displays for England at Euro 2004.
As they say: Once a Blue, always a Blue.
Who left?
Rooney left for Manchester United at the end of the summer for £27 million (via BBC Sport), while Thomas Gravesen was the other high-profile player to leave Goodison Park during that season, though his surprise move to Real Madrid did not take place until January.
Wayne Rooney
Meanwhile, former first-team players such as Niclas Alexandersson, Paul Gerrard, David Unsworth, Tomaz Radzinski and Scot Gemmill all left.
Who came in?
While Everton fans may have feared the worst when they saw who had left the club, two of the players they brought in turned out to be inspired signings for the Toffees.
Mikel Arteta initially arrived on loan but was soon signed permanently, while Tim Cahill was signed from 2004 FA Cup finalists Millwall.
Tim Cahill celebrates scoring their first goal with Mikel Arteta
James Beattie and Marcus Bent were also signed, though neither really managed to make that great an impact during their times on Merseyside.
What happened?
In one of the most miraculous turnarounds in Premier League history, Everton finished the 2004/05 season in fourth, meaning that they qualified for the preliminary rounds of the following campaign’s Champions League. Summer signing Cahill finished as their top goalscorer in the league
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