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Beattie agrees Bramall Lane switch
James Beattie: The club's record signing when he joined in January 2005, his Everton career never really got going
The Lancaster-born striker was Everton's record signing in January 2005 when he signed for £6m from Southampton but over his time at Goodison Park was beset by injury and poor form and his return of just 13 goals from 76 matches was indicative of the fact that things never really got going for him.
The acquisition of Beattie marked the end of a protracted chase by David Moyes for the one-time England international but there were always question marks over whether his best days were behind him.
Having forged his reputation at Southampton as an international-class forward when he scored 24 goals in one season, Beattie's form dropped off as injuries took their toll and his partnership with Marian Pahars was broken up.
After initially failing to tempt him to Goodison in the summer of 2004, Moyes finally landed Beattie the following January transfer window but one of his first appearances in Everton blue was a portent of what was to follow. Chasing a loose ball with Chelsea's William Gallas, he inexplicably head-butted the defender in front of the live Sky Sports cameras and was sent off to the disbelief at the Goodison crowd.
Injuries then kept him out of the picture for frustrating periods and when he was fit he proved unsuitable to Moyes's preferred 4-5-1 formation. That, compounded by a lack of service in general from midfield, generated some sympathy from fans for Beattie, especially given his efforts to improve his fitness and shed some excess pounds.
However, when he failed to gel with Andy Johnson when he arrived in the summer of 2006 and his shattered confidence became evident on the pitch, it looked as though his Everton days were numbered.
The likes of Blackburn Rovers, the club where he started his professional career, Birmingham City and Middlesbrough came sniffing around the 29 year-old this close season but none followed up their interest with a firm bid, especially after Everton placed a £4m price tag on his head.
And when first James Vaughan and then Tim Cahill — the latter often employed as a makeshift striker — were ruled out for the first two to three months of the coming season, it looked as though Beattie would be staying on Merseyside for the time being.
When Sheffield United boss Bryan Robson came in with a firm £4m offer for the player, though, Beattie grabbed the opportunity to resurrect his career as part of the Blades' push for an immediate return to the Premiership.
Coincidentally, Beattie was joined by Australian David Carney who was on Everton's books a few years ago and who signed for the Yorkshire club today for £50,000 from Sydney FC. Not only that, Robson reportedly failed to make it an ex-Goodison trio when he was unable to prise Kevin Kilbane from Wigan Athletic.