PLAYER PROFILE

Tim Cahill

Position: Midfield

Height: 5'11

Weight: 10st 12lbs

Date of Birth: 1979-12-06 Sydney, Australia

Tim Cahill

Australian international Tim Cahill has completed his move to Everton for an undisclosed fee after agreeing a four-year deal with David Moyes' side in July 2004.

It is believed the transfer fee for the 24-year-old midfielder is in the region of £2million.

Cahill had been linked with a move to Crystal Palace but the deal collapsed at the last minute.

The midfielder has described the move to Goodison as a dream come true and said: "I desperately wanted to come to Everton and to improve myself and the club.

"It's very emotional for myself, because it's been a long-term battle to come to a place like this and I'm just very happy and very fortunate to come to a club like Everton.

"The manager and the chairman have been fantastic. They've told me about their ambitions, and their visions for the club match my own."

Cahill moved to the New Den from Sydney United seven years ago and went on to play over 200 league games for the Lions.

He enjoyed a particularly fine campaign last term when he netted 12 goals and had a big hand in helping the club reach the FA Cup Final.

Cahill was David Moyes' second signing of the summer following the purchase of Marcus Bent from Ipswich Town.

His first season at Goodison Park proved to be a great success. He was one of the brightest stars in a season which saw Everton qualify for the Champions League. He played 38 games, scored 12 goals and was praised by both his manager and teammates such as Steve Watson.

However, the following season started slowly for him as Everton crashed out of both the Champions League and UEFA Cup, while Moyes was threatening to drop him because of his poor form. Things improved by the end of the campaign though, and he managed seven goals after Christmas 2005.

The season did end with some worries for him though as an injury looked like it could ruin his dream of playing for Australia in Germany. However, he shook it off, and became the first Socceroo to score in a World Cup when his brace against Japan earned them their first-ever win.

This superb form continued in the early stages of the 2006/07 season, something that was honoured by his nomination for the French Ballon D'Or award.

However, two separate injuries during the course of the season ensured he only played fitfully from then on. He will be hoping to avoid such problems in 07/08.