birthday. Cantona, who won four league titles and two FA Cups in five seasons at the club, explained that he had always intended to retire while still at the top. 11 June 1997 – Chelsea sign Dutch goalkeeper Ed de Goey from Feyenoord for £2.25 million. 13 June 1997 – Barnsley, who have been promoted to the Premier League for the first time, pay a club record £1.5million for Macedonian striker Georgi Hristov from Partizan. 17 June 1997 – Arsenal pay a club record £7million for Ajax and Dutch winger Marc Overmars. 23 June 1997 – Former Everton striker Andy Gray rejects an offer to return to the club as manager, preferring to stay in his current role as a football pundit with Sky Sports. 24 June 1997 – The Premier League's media consultants recommend that the league creates its own television channel by 2001 if it wants to maximise television revenue, claiming that it could generate twice as much revenue this way than the current deal with Sky Sports is raising for them. 25 June 1997 – Howard Kendall leaves Sheffield United to take charge of Everton for the third time since 1981. 27 June 1997 – Manchester United sign Teddy Sheringham from Tottenham for £3.5million. Famous debutants 11 January 1997: Jamie Carragher, 18-year-old defender, makes his debut for Liverpool in their 0–0 home draw with West Ham United in the Premier League. 12 April 1997: Michael Ball, 17-year-old defender, makes his debut for Everton in their 1–0 home win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. 6 May 1997: Michael Owen, 17-year-old striker, scores on his debut for Liverpool in their 2–1 league defeat by Wimbledon at Selhurst Park. Retirements 7 November 1996: Dave Busst, 29-year-old central defender who suffered a compound leg fracture while playing for Coventry City against Manchester United seven months ago, retires on medical advice after being told that he is unlikely ever to recover to full fitness despite having had 26 operations. 28 April 1997: Peter Shilton, 47-year-old goalkeeper who four months earlier became the first player to reach 1,000 league appearances in English football, ends his professional career after being given a free transfer by Leyton Orient. 11 May 1997: Gordon Strachan, 40-year-old Coventry City player-manager, retires as a player after becoming the oldest outfield player to appear in the Premier League. 18 May 1997: Eric Cantona, iconic Manchester United, shocks football