Arriving at Goodison Park in a £2.5 million transfer in the summer of 2000, Niclas Alexandersson joined Everton as part of Walter Smith’s midfield revamp.
With the likes of Nick Barmby, Don Hutchison and John Collins replaced with Alexandersson alongside Thomas Gravesen, Alex Nyarko, and Paul Gascoigne, the Swedish international was at the heart of the Toffees’ new look set up, with big things expected from the winger.
Indeed, Alexandersson already had three years of Premier League experience with Sheffield Wednesday, where he found the net 8 times in 75 appearances for the Yorkshire club. A fan favourite at Hillsborough, Alexandersson won Wednesday’s Player of the Season award the year before his Goodison Park move, and got off to a flying start
The Swedish attacker said, “When I first came, I had a really good pre-season, and it looked very promising.
I’d scored five goals over the summer including two (in the first 25 minutes) in a testimonial (for Joe Parkinson) against Manchester City and that set the tone a little bit as I was struggling a bit with injuries.
However, despite a bright start to life on Merseyside, the spiky-haired winger struggled to meet the demands of an expectant fanbase as injuries interrupted the form which saw the club secure his signature, and Alexandersson insists this is one of the biggest career regrets.
“That’s my big regret from my time at Everton is that I didn’t find the kind of form I’d previously shown at Wednesday during my time at Goodison Park.
“The first two seasons were ok but the last 18 months were disappointing as for different reasons I didn’t perform the way I knew I could.”
Alexandersson played at Goodison Park between 2000 and 2004, scoring 4 league goals in 58 appearances, though he remains involved in football, coaching the game back in his native Sweden