England international Tony Cottee became the most expensive player signed by a British club when he moved from West Ham to Everton for £2.2m in August 1988, but he now admits that he hated the pressure that tag brought with it.
After scoring 92 First Division goals in 212 appearances for West Ham in his early career, the 23-year-old Cottee attracted the attention from some of the best clubs in England. Everton shelled out a record fee in order to bring him to Goodison, which Liverpool broke just weeks later when Ian Rush returned to Anfield from Juventus for £2.7m, with Cottee settling in relatively well on Merseyside.
