Steve Sidwell
Born in December 1982, Steve Sidwell is the first of Martin O'Neill's signings for the 08/09 season. Born in Wandsworth, London, Sidwell was originally part of the FA Youth Cup winning team with Arsenal in 2000 and 2001. He had successful loan spells with both Brentford and Brighton, but was unable to force his way into the starting XI at Arsenal.
Sidwell moved to Reading for an undisclosed fee in 2003, and Four Four Two magazine voted him the best player outside of the Premier League in 2004. Playing a key role in Reading's promotion season, Sidwell came to further prominence and played a vital role in the club staying up and gaining a respectable 7th position in their first year in the Premiership.
However a free transfer to Jose Mourinho's Chelsea was not as successful, and once the Portuguese resigned from his position he fell out of favour with the new coach Avram Grant. Sidwell persisted with Chelsea for the remainder of the season, but when the club brought in Luis Felipe Scolari and Deco, it seemed that Sidwell's days in West London were numbered.
| Season | Games Played | Goals Scored | Goals to Game Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08/09 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |