Ahead of the 2004–05 season, Arca was linked a move away from Sunderland, as Manager McCarthy predicted that he would leave the club should they failed to achieve promotion back to the Premier League. But Arca, himself, said he’s happy to stay at Sunderland, leading him to begin open talks with the club over a new contract. At the start of the 2004–05 season, he continued to remain as first team regular, playing in the midfield position. It wasn’t until on 14 September 2004 when Arca scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–0 win over Nottingham Forest. However, he missed two matches, due to a sustained leg injury. After returning to the first team from injury, Arca then scored his second goal of the season, in a 3–1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on 30 October 2004; followed–up by providing a hat–trick assists, in a 3–1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. During a 2–0 defeat against Millwall on 5 November 2004, Arca made V-signs to Millwall supporters on three occasions after being involved in a tussle with Kevin Muscat; leading the Football Association reported the allegations to the police. It was announced on 12 November 2004 that he signed a three–year contract, keeping him until 2007. By the end of 2004, he added two more goals, which were against Burnley and Leeds United. After being sidelined with another injury at the beginning of January, Arca didn’t score again until on 19 February 2005, in a 2–1 loss against Brighton & Hove Albion. In a follow–up match against Rotherham United, he suffered an injury and was substituted in the 33rd minutes, resulting in him missing two matches. It wasn’t until on 12 March 2005 when he made his return as a substitute against Crewe Alexandra and set up the only goal in the game, in a 1–0 win. In a follow–up match, Arca scored his sixth goal of the season, in a 5–1 win over Plymouth Argyle. He later scored three more goals, including two victories over Queens Park Rangers and West Ham United. Throughout the season, Arca was arguably their best player as they returned to the Premiership under manager Mick McCarthy, winning the Football League Championship in 2004–05. At the end of the 2004–05 season, he went on to make forty–two appearances and scoring nine times in all competitions. For his performance, Arca, once again, was named in the PFA Team of the Year for the Championship team in the 2004–05 season.
Julio Arca Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family
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