Gary Speed was a £3.5m signing by Joe Royal in 1996 and as a childhood Everton fan it was a dream move for the Welshman. He scored on his debut against Newcastle United and later managed a hat trick, the only one of his career, in a vintage Everton performance that saw the Blues defeat Southampton 7-1 at Goodison Park. He finished that season as top goal scorer alongside Duncan Ferguson, having managed to score 11 goals in his debut campaign and be voted as Everton Player of the Year. Sadly Royle would leave the club for the beginning of the 1997 season and be replaced by Howard Kendall, who at first nominated Speed to be club captain. However, by the beginning of 1998 their relationship had soured and he was sold to Newcastle for £5.5m, refusing to say publicly why he was sold because it would damage the good name of Everton Football Club. His career at Newcastle United was highly successful as he featured 213 times in the league during a six-year spell, playing a part in the club's FA Cup finals defeats to Arsenal and Manchester United in 1998 and 1999 and in their Champions League campaign. Following a move to Bolton he became the first player to make 500 Premier League appearances and was forging an impressive career as Wales manager before his death in 2011. His exit from Goodison Park is still widely regarded as one of the worst the club has ever negotiated.
