“Never fall in love with a loan player.” Kevin Campbell was very much an exception to the rule. After avoiding relegation by the skin of their teeth in 1998, it looked like Everton had to go through that turmoil all over again the following season. But Super Kev made sure that did not happen.

At the end of February 1999, Kevin Campbell’s spell at Turkish club Trabzonspor – who he had only joined the previous summer – was over after the president Mehmet Ali Yilmaz criticised his performance at the club, telling Turkish television that Campbell was a “discoloured cannibal”. Following his comments, Campbell said in a statement:

I am first of all a black man. I can accept routine criticism but when comments are made concerning my race, football is not important.

Campbell refused to play for Trabzonspor again. Everton manager Walter Smith hoped to get him out of this difficult situation by having talks with his agent Paul Stretford about a possible loan deal or maybe even a free transfer if FIFA allowed Campbell to invalidate his contract after Trabzonspor missed a deadline to pay his wages. Trabzonspor manager Gordon Milne did not want Campbell to leave:

Kevin is very upset and still sees it as a racist attack. This has happened because we’ve had a couple of defeats and the president has come under pressure. He said something on television and did not fully realise the consequences.

The bottom line is I do not want Kevin to leave because he has been playing well.

At that time, Everton needed some firepower up front. Up to just before their home game against Wimbledon, when Campbell was first linked with the club, Everton were 15th – just 3 points above the relegation zone – and were the lowest scorers in the league (19 goals after 26 games). They had only scored 8 goals at Goodison Park in the Premier League (5 of them coming in just one game – a 5-0 win over Middlesbrough) and failed to score in 9 out of 13 home league games. Although they were defensively solid at Goodison – only 6 goals conceded and 10 clean sheets – they only earned 16 points (3 wins, 7 draws – all goalless – and 3 defeats). Only Nottingham Forest had earned fewer points at home than Everton (6).

There was concern about whether Kevin Campbell would be the right man for Everton. Len Capeling of the Liverpool Daily Post wrote a comment with the heading “Model striker Campbell a recipe for disaster” described him as “an Arsenal misfit from way back and an overpriced failure at the highest levels,” adding his goalscoring record “tells you that Campbell has been in the soup more time than he’s been in the spotlight.”

Despite Campbell’s case being backed by the international players’ union, FIFA refused to intervene and Campbell’s contract at Trabzonspor remained untorn. A reported plan B was Anderlecht’s Ole Martin Aarst but Kevin Campbell remained Everton’s main priority. A loan spell would still suffice but that would mean the club would have to pay all of Campbell’s reported £27,000-a-week wages, which Everton would struggle to afford because of their own financial predicaments.

While it looked like the move had collapsed, mere days before the transfer deadline – 5pm on March 25th – there was a breakthrough. Paul Stretford had spoken to Gordon Milne in Turkey and talks were looking positive. It then transpired that Campbell’s wages were less than previously reported – they were actually £16,000 a week. A much more affordable wage that Everton can pay. After nearly a month, the move was finally completed the day before the deadline after Mehmet Ali Yilmaz approved the transfer following “delicate negotiations”.

After he joined the Blues on loan, Campbell said:

I am over the moon to be back. It is such a relief after all the troubles of the past few weeks. It’s been so depressing for me being at the club, and with my wife flying back home.

I thought I was stuck in Turkey because the transfer deadline was so close, but everything has worked out like a dream.

Campbell’s debut was expected to be the Merseyside derby:

It’s even better to know that my first game will be against Liverpool in the derby. You couldn’t want for anything more exciting than that.

Following his first day at Bellefield, Campbell added:

It is flattering that someone like Walter Smith and Everton came in to take me. It had become very difficult for me in Turkey but Everton are a great club and I jumped at the chance as soon as I heard they were interested.

I hope I can provide a little spark for the rest of the team. I know the supporters are fantastic from having played at Goodison Park before and if they get behind the team for the last eight games then I think we can stay up. I can help ease the goalscoring problems they have had here.

Between Everton’s initial interest and Campbell’s eventual move to Goodison, Everton had a mixed run of results. The lows were defeats to Arsenal and Manchester United and getting knocked out by Newcastle in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. But an important high was coming from behind to beat relegation rivals Blackburn thanks to a Bakayoko brace. Ahead of the derby, Everton were 16th – just 2 points above the relegation zone with 8 games to go.

Everton had a dream start in the derby with Olivier Dacourt scoring after just 41 seconds. But in a classic case of scoring too early, Liverpool turned it around and won 3-2. Following the defeat, Everton dropped to 17th and were only 1 point above the relegation zone. Their next match against Sheffield Wednesday was just 2 days later as both games fell on Easter weekend. Again Everton broke the deadlock and again their opponents turned it around. Francis Jeffers scored his 2nd goal in 3 days to give the Blues a half-time lead but a Benito Carbone double sent Everton into the relegation zone on goal difference.

A defeat to your local rivals and another at home in 3 days were not ideal. Kevin Campbell failed to score in both games, although he did contribute to a goal by assisting Francis Jeffers’ consolation against Liverpool. He also played a part in Jeffers’ goal against Sheffield Wednesday after goalkeeper Pavel Srnicek spilled the ball following pressure from Campbell.

The next match was against Coventry. Even though Everton had beaten the Sky Blues in the FA Cup a couple of months prior, they had not beaten them in the league since March 1993 (11 games). But that run came to an end and it was the start of Kevin Campbell’s heroics. For the third game in a row, Everton broke the deadlock – Nick Barmby poked the ball to Campbell in the box and the loanee converted in the 28th minute. With 6 minutes to go, it remained 1-0 but Everton found themselves down to 10 men after Marco Materazzi was sent off for a second yellow card. A goal up but a man down with little time left, it was going to be a nervy end to the game. The nerves were soon settled as Campbell scored his second goal of the game with 2 minutes to go to give Everton an invaluable 3 points. Following the win, Everton were 3 points clear of the relegation zone but the two teams below them, Charlton and Blackburn, had a game in hand.

After his brace, Campbell said:

It was just good to be out there on the pitch where you could influence things because in the stands, there was real heart-wrenching stuff going on.

When I scored the first goal, I touched the ball past the goalkeeper then looked up. My eyes went wide because I could see all the supporters behind the goal! Fortunately, the ball went in and they were all over the moon.

The fans are tremendous here. You could see that even in the Sheffield Wednesday game. They were still behind us, even when we went 2-1 down. I like the lads, too. They’re all good lads and Walter Smith’s an excellent manager. I wouldn’t hesitate if they offered me a contract. I’d sign it tomorrow.

The next match was against Newcastle at St James’ Park. Everton had a poor record at the ground – they had lost each of their previous 7 games there, including the FA Cup quarter-final the previous month. They ended one bad run and hoped to end another – and they did. Campbell broke the deadlock after just 42 seconds by slotting the ball past Shay Given following a terrific pass by Don Hutchison. Newcastle had a chance to equalise from the penalty spot after a David Weir handball but Thomas Myhre saved Alan Shearer’s effort. Just before half-time, Campbell made it 4 goals in 2 games by just about converting a cross by Francis Jeffers as the ball slowly sneaked under Given’s arm. Campbell was worryingly subbed off after the hour mark with a hip injury but Everton still managed to earn another crucial 3 points by winning 3-1. Alan Shearer had a second chance from the penalty spot and converted to half the deficit but deadline day signing Scot Gemmill made sure all 3 points were going to the Blues by making it 3-1 with 2 minutes remaining.

Their next opponents were relegation rivals Charlton. The Addicks had lost their game in hand against Tottenham, meaning that Everton were 5 points clear of the relegation zone with 4 games remaining. Because Charlton were 18th, a win would nearly ensure another relegation escape. After scoring 4 goals in his last 2 games, Kevin Campbell was already the Blues’ joint-top goalscorer in the Premier League that season (along with Ibrahima Bakayoko, Danny Cadamarteri and the departed Duncan Ferguson). Despite the injury scare, he retained his place in the starting XI and produced another heroic performance. After Everton took the lead through Don Hutchison, Campbell directly contributed to the next 3 goals. He doubled Everton’s lead by shooting from a tight angle after his initial effort was blocked. He then scored a brace for the third game in a row on the hour after heading in Francis Jeffers’ cross. A quarter of an hour later, he returned the favour – following a counter attack from a Charlton corner, Campbell guided the ball to Jeffers and Jeffers calmly finished to make it 4-0. The match ended 4-1 after ex-Blue Graham Stuart scored a consolation penalty. That win against Charlton meant Everton were 8 points clear of the relegation zone with 3 games left. Only an absolute disaster would send Everton down.

Kevin Campbell’s performances in the last 3 games earned him Premier League Player of the Month for April – the first Everton player to win the award since Andrei Kanchelskis for April 1996.

It’s been a very good month for Everton and myself. This award is the icing on the cake really. 6 goals in 5 games is more than I could expect but we still need 1 more point at Chelsea.

Hopefully I can help Everton do that to secure their Premiership status and get myself a permanent contract here.

In response to his own comment after Campbell joined Everton, Len Capeling said:

Very soon, I’ll be forced to eat my words over Kevin Campbell, whose hardworking, honest approach has won him many admirers since he swapped a place Bob Paisley once memorably described as a doss-house for the spit and sawdust of Liverpool 4.

Campbell is the manager’s masterstroke. Muscular, menacing with an eye for the skilful strike that wasn’t always evident at Arsenal, he has already ensured that if he does nothing else, he will be remembered for getting Everton out of the soup.

The job was not completely done, however, as they needed to avoid defeat in any of their last 3 games to confirm their place in the Premier League next season. Their next opponents were title challengers Chelsea. Survival celebrations had to be put on hold as Everton lost 3-1 at Stamford Bridge and Campbell’s goalscoring streak came to an end. Although they were 7 points clear of the relegation zone with 2 games to go, 18th-placed Blackburn still had a game in hand.

Their penultimate game of the season was against West Ham, who were vying for a European place. It was the last Goodison match of the season and the crowd comprising of nearly 40,000 Everton fans were hoping this would not be the last time they would see Kevin Campbell in royal blue. But those lucky fans were treated to a spectacular performance. Everton confirmed their place in the Premier League next season after annihilating West Ham 6-0 with Campbell scoring a hat-trick to make it 9 goals in 5 games.

After a 2-0 defeat to Southampton, Everton ended the season in 14th place and 7 points clear of the relegation zone with Kevin Campbell as their top goalscorer with 9 goals, despite joining in March and playing only 8 games. Despite interest from Sheffield Wednesday and Bradford City, Campbell only wanted to play for Everton.

Everton are in my heart. I want to stay here but obviously something has to be sorted out. If I had the money, I would put it in myself because I don’t want to go back to Turkey.

You look at what the club has going for it and there is a nucleus of a good team here. I want to be part of that, but it is time for the nitty-gritty to take place now between the two clubs.

It looked like the permanent move was not going to happen after Trabzonspor rejected a £3 million bid from Everton, wanting another £500,000 because they believed £3.5 million was the fee they paid when they signed Campbell from Nottingham Forest. However, there was a clause in Campbell’s contract with Trabzonspor which said he can leave for £3 million if manager Gordon Milne and ex-Blue assistant manager Ian Wilson had left the club, and they were both sacked not long before the bid was rejected. The difficult circumstances meant Campbell was once again in limbo, forcing himself to run laps of a football pitch at the Mottram Hall Hotel in Wilmslow to keep his fitness levels up while Everton players had started pre-season training. Furthermore, Mehmet Ali Yilmaz claimed his controversial comments were mistranslated and it was reported that he would accept the £3 million fee if Campbell corroborated his claims. After two chaotic months, the saga was finally over and Kevin Campbell was an Everton player again, this time on a permanent basis.

During his five-and-a-half-year spell at the Blues, Kevin Campbell’s highlights included scoring a winner at Anfield and becoming the club’s first ever black captain. But it was his loan spell that he will always be remembered and adored for. Undoubtedly the greatest and most important loan signing in Everton’s history, he stepped up to the plate when desperately needed. He will be greatly missed not just by Evertonians, but by football fans everywhere.

RIP Kevin Campbell (1970–2024)