THE MAGICAINS
33 Julio Arca
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Position Full-back / midfield
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Date Of Birth 31/01/81
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Place Of Birth Quilmes, Bernal
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Height 6'0""
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Weight 10.12
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SUNDERLAND beat off competition from Newcastle and Leeds to sign Argentina Under-21 captain Julio Arca from Argentinos Juniors.
Arca, who has Italian ancestry, joined the club in a £3.5 million five-year deal and made his Premiership debut against West Ham at the Stadium of Light.
Boss Peter Reid spotted Arca playing for the Under-21s against England at Craven Cottage last season and tracked him until completing the signing in July.
Arca's previous club, Argentinos Juniors, also shaped footballing stars Maradona, before he went to Boca Juniors, and Redondo, who went on to play for Real Madrid.
The 19-year-old has been a big hit in his first season on Wearside, forming an eye-catching parnership with Michael Gray down the left side.
26 Thomas Butler
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Position Midfield
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Date Of Birth 25/4/81
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Place Of Birth Dublin
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Height 5'8"
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Weight 10.7
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MIDFIELDER Thomas Butler was named the Republic of Ireland's Under-15 Player of the Year in 1997 and has represented his country 10 times at Under-15 and Under-16 levels.
He played in the Youth World Cup in South Africa in January 1999.
West Ham, Aston Villa and Leeds United were all interested in signing the midfielder but he chose Sunderland despite his elder brother being with Leeds.
Butler made five reserve team appearances in 1998-99 and made more second string appearances last term despite missing a lot of the season through injury
15 Carsten Fredgaard
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Position Midfield / Left Midfield
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Date Of Birth 20/5/76
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Place Of Birth Denmark
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Height 6'0"
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Weight 12.4
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CARSTEN Fredgaard joined Sunderland as one of the most sought-after midfielders in Scandinavia.
The Denmark Under-21 international turned down offers from a number of top European clubs to move to the Stadium of Light for a fee of £1.7 million after being impressed with the set-up on Wearside.
He played for Danish club Lyngby FC from 1995, making 110 appearances, in which he scored 24 goals. Fredgaard, who can play in midfield or up front, has three Under-18 caps, nine Under-21 caps and has made three appearances for the Danish National League team.
He was a team-mate of Thomas Sorensen’s at Denmark Under-21 level and the Sunderland keeper was instrumental in the player signing for the Wearsiders, despite a number of offers from other clubs.
Fredgaard struggled to make an impact at the Stadium of Light in his first season and joined First Division club West Brom on loan in January. The Dane is currently on a three-month loan spell at Bolton.
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4 Don Hutchison
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Position Midfield/striker
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Date Of Birth 9/5/71
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Place Of Birth Gateshead
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Height 6'1"
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Weight 12.04
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SCOTLAND international Don Hutchison was snapped up by Sunderland boss Peter Reid in July for £2.5 million from Everton.
It brought to an end months of chasing for Reid who rates the midfielder as one of the best in the business.
Hutchison, who is from Gateshead and a product of the successful Redheugh Boys' Club, began his career at Hartlepool before moving to Liverpool, West Ham, Sheffield United and then to Goodison Park.
It was at Everton where he began to make a name for himself and won the first of his Scotland caps.
Hutchison turned down moves to Coventry and Charlton in the summer in favour of a return to the North-East.
Ironically, Reid tried to sign Hutchison ten years ago when the player was at Hartlepool but Manchester City would not give their manager the £250,000 asking price.
Hutchison can operate as a midfielder or a striker, a position he has played in several times for Scotland.
He has had a successful start to his Sunderland career chipping in with a number fo goals from midfield.
11 Kevin Kilbane
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Position Winger
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Date Of Birth 1/2/77
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Place Of Birth Preston
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Height 6'0"
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Weight 12.07
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WINGER Kevin Kilbane joined Sunderland in a £2.5 million deal from West Brom in December 1999.
The strong left-sided player, who became the Baggies' first £1 million signing when he moved to The Hawthorns from Preston in 1997, has established himself in Mick McCarthy's Republic of Ireland squad in the last couple of seasons, and went on tour with his country to the USA in the summer.
Kilbane started his career at Deepdale, making more than 50 appearances before moving to West Brom for £1.25 million in May 1997.
The winger became Sunderland's third-highest signing behind Stefan Schwarz and Lee Clark when he moved to the Stadium of Light.
Kilbane has settled into life at Sunderland after a slow start and played a big part in Sunderland's good end to 2000.
23 Chris Lumsdon
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Position Midfield
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Date Of Birth 15/12/79
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Place Of Birth Newcastle
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Height 5'11"
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Weight 10.03
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NEWCASTLE-born Chris Lumsdon made his Sunderland debut in February 1998 in a 1-0 win at Wolves and was included in Peter Reid's side to face Chelsea in the Premiership on the opening day of last season.
Lumsdon has been tied to the club until 2003 in what was the longest contract ever offered by Sunderland.
He joined Sunderland despite offers from Nottingham Forest, Coventry and Rangers.
Chris moved to Blackpool on loan in February last season and has spent three months on loan at Crewe this term.
8 Gavin McCann
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Position Midfield
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Date Of Birth 10//78
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Place Of Birth Blackpool
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Height 5'11"
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Weight 12.7
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THE all-action midfielder was signed by Sunderland from Everton in November 1998 for a fee of £500,000.
He made 11 Premiership appearances for the Toffeemen before being squeezed out of the picture at Goodison Park and Peter Reid wasted no time in snapping him up.
McCann forced his way into Reid’s plans last season and was one of the finds of the year. He has scored a number of important goals from midfield, including the first in the 5-0 win at Derby, and was named man-of-the-match in Sunderland’s win over Leicester and draw against Manchester United at the Stadium of Light last term.
The midfielder suffered a serious knee injury last season but has recovered and is back in Reid's side.
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28 John Oster
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Position Winger
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Date Of Birth 8/12/78
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Place Of Birth Boston, Lincolnshire
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Height 5'9"
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Weight 10.13
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JOHN Oster began his career with Grimsby Town where he made just 24 appearances before Everton boss Howard Kendall paid £1.5 m for him up in July 1997.
The winger featured in his first season at Goodison Park and was capped by Wales as a teenager but struggled to make an impact under Walter Smith.
Oster made the £1 million switch to Sunderland in the summer of 1999 but failed to re-establish himself in the Premiership last season.
29 Tom Peeters
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Position Midfield
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Date Of Birth 25/9/78
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Place Of Birth Bornem, Belgium
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Height 1.78 metres
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Weight 70kg
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TOM Peeters was brought to the Stadium of Light in July 2000 from Belgian side KV Mechelen for a fee of £250,000.
Peeters started his career with FC Broom in Belgium before moving onto Ekeren and then KV Mechelen, the club where he made a name for himself.
Manager Peter Reid spotted his potential last season and pushed through a deal after watching the midfielder for Mechelen last term.
Peeters is a former Belgian Under-18 international and Young Player of the Year.
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16 Alex Rae
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Position Midfield
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Date Of Birth 30/6/69
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Place Of Birth Glasgow
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Height 5'10"
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Weight 11.8
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ALEX Rae has been through a rollercoaster of a ride since joining Sunderland in 1996.
The midfielder, who has been capped by Scotland at B and Under-21 levels, missed most of the 1998-99 season because of personal problems but recovered to enjoy a successful season in the Premiership.
The former Falkirk and Millwall player moved to the Den from Scotland in 1990 and was an instant success in south London, scoring 50 goals in 168 starts before switching to the Stadium of Light.
He was in and out of Peter Reid's side during his first two years at Sunderland but recovered from alcohol-related problems to re-establish himself at the club.
The midfielder is knocking on Scotland boss Craig Brown’s door after some quality performances in the Premiership this season.
19 Eric Roy
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Position Midfield
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Date Of Birth 26/09/67
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Place Of Birth Nice
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Height 5'9"
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Weight 10.10
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ERIC Roy was snapped up by Sunderland for £200,000 just after the beginning of last season and it did not take him long to make his mark in Peter Reid's side.
The Frenchman made more than 20 appearances in the Premiership and caught the eye with his passing a vision.
The classy midfielder played for Marseilles for three seasons before moving to Wearside but the French club decided against offering him a new contract in the summer of 1999.
Roy started his career with SC Toulon in 1992 before moving to to Olympique de Lyon, where he spent three years.
He made his first start for Sunderland in the 2-1 win over Tottenham in October but has only made a limited contribution this term.
20 Stefan Schwarz
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Position Midfield
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Date Of Birth 18/4/69
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Place Of Birth Malmo, Sweden
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Height 180cm
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Weight 74kg
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STEFAN Schwarz signed for Sunderland in a club-record £4million deal in August 1999.
He has been capped more than 60 times by Sweden and has played for Bayer Leverkusen, Malmo, Benfica, Arsenal, Fiorentina and Valencia during an illustrious career.
Schwarz played in the 1990 and 1994 World Cup finals with Sweden and has been a massive hit on Wearside since signing from Valencia. He had a brief spell in the Premiership with Arsenal five years ago but failed to settle in England and moved to Benfica.
The midfielder was named Player of the Year in Sweden last season after helping his country win their group ahead of England and book a place in the Euro 2000 finals.
The 30-year-old was forced to miss the end of last season and the Euro 2000 finals after rupturing his Achilles playing in a friendly for Sweden in March but is back in business at Sunderland.
21 Paul Thirlwell
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Position Midfield
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Date Of Birth 13/2/79
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Place Of Birth Newcastle
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Height 5'11"
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Weight 11.04
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PAUL Thirlwell came through the youth ranks at Sunderland and was handed his first-team debut in the 1998-99 season as Sunderland raced to the First Division championship.
He made a number of appearances in the Premiership last season and played in Sunderland's 4-1 win over Chelsea at the Stadium of Light.
The midfielder is highly rated at the club and Peter Reid has tied him to a five-year contract.
Thirlwell spent two months on-loan at Division One side Swindon Town last season but is now part of Reid's first-team plans.
22 Neil Wainwright
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Position Right wing
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Date Of Birth 4/11/77
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Place Of Birth Warrington
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Height 5'10"
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Weight 10.02
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NEIL Wainwright moved to Sunderland for £200,000 from Wrexham in the summer of 1998 after making just a handful of appearances for the North Wales club.
He was given just two run outs by boss Peter Reid in an injury-hit first season at the Stadium of Light, but returned to fitness to help the Reserves to the Pontins League title in 1998-99.
Wainwright, who was being chased by Newcastle, Derby and Coventry before Reid stepped in to bring him to the Stadium of Light, operates down the right flank.
He enjoyed a successful three-month loan spell at Darlington last season and is currently on loan at Halifax.