OTD: JULIO ARCA SIGNED

On this day in 2000, Argentine full back Julio Arca was signed from Argentinos Juniors for a fee of £3.5 million.

As many fans may remember, Arca wasted no time in proving his worth to Sunderland. Having missed the three opening games of the season due to an awaited Italian passport, his first game at the SoL was against West Ham United, wherein he netted for the first time. A left-back by trade, Reid converted Julio into a left-sided midfielder, which proved successful in the long run. Arca scored three times in thirty appearances for the Lads in his first season and picked up the clubs Young Player of The Year award.

Arca’s performances for Sunderland are remembered fondly, however his time on Wearside was plagued by injury. A broken foot against Blackburn Rovers, a broken toe in training and incessant muscle injuries left Arca needing to earn back his place in the starting XI. However, the midfielder always bounced back and had no issues in regaining his place in the squad.

Controversy surrounded Julio with each transfer window, with many expecting him to leave Sunderland for pastures new. Despite growing speculation, Arca stayed loyal to the Lads, stating he had no intention of leaving the club. Over a six-year period, Arca totted up 177 appearances and 23 goals for Sunderland, and was included in the all-time Solid Gold XI (2011) on the clubs’ website.

In 2006, amidst the increasingly likely relegation of SAFC to the championship, Arca accepted an offer from north east rivals Middlesbrough. Julio didn’t want to spend another season in the Championship, and with the opportunity to play in the Premier League again, it would have been foolish not to accept the bid.

From 2006-13, Arca made 185 appearances for Boro, scoring nine goals in total. Arca has praised the people of the north, having spent so much of his time on Wearside and Teesside during his playing career. When his active contract with Middlesbrough expired in 2013, Julio announced his retirement from professional football. He worked closely with the youth teams within Sunderland for several years, coaching the academies U14 team for a short while.

Julio’s retirement didn’t last long. One last stint with Northern League Division Two side South Shields saw Arca once again become a fan’s-favourite with the home crowd. He netted in a 1-1 draw against Stokesley Sports Club at Mariners Park on his debut. Inspired by the experience and ability of Julio, in three years, South Shields won three cups and achieved three promotions.

In 2018, Arca brought his wonderful career to an appropriate end. He departed from South Shields, and in 2019, returned to his homeland, Argentina, with his family. He has since established a new business over there, Premier Sports Division, which assists sportspeople in relocating around the world when joining new clubs. In April 2023, Arca returned to South Shields to become their new manager just after the club had been promoted to the National League North. He helped them to a pretty good start for a newly promoted side and had the South Tyneside outfit inside the play-off places for most of his time at the helm. Unfortuantely a run of six games without a win, that culiminated in a 3-1 defeat to local rivals Blyth Spartans, resulted in his (what I feel) rather harsh sacking with the club sitting in 8th place in the sixth tier in December 2023.