3–1 loss against Arsenal. Bellion spent time on loan at West Ham United at the beginning of the 2005–06 season. He scored on his debut, a League Cup win over Sheffield Wednesday on 20 September 2005. After the match, manager Alan Pardew praised Bellion, believing he could make an impact at the club. However, he never flourished and his first-team opportunities were limited and he went on to make just ten appearances for the club, mostly as a substitute. Nice He returned to France on 9 January 2006, joining Nice on loan until the end of the season, a move that was later made permanent in June 2006. Speaking of his move, Bellion said it was good to be home in France, and he settled quickly at the club. Shortly after his move, Bellion made his debut, coming on as a substitute and receiving a yellow card, in a 0–0 draw against Nantes. Bellion scored in the quarter-final of Coupe de la Ligue in a 2–1 win over Bordeaux on 17 January 2006. The club advanced to the semi-final and then progressed to the final but lost against Nancy on 22 April 2006. On 14 February 2006, he scored his first goal, the only goal in the match, against Saint-Étienne. Toward the end of the season, he scored three goals in three matches against Rennes, Ajaccio and Metz. At the end of the season, Bellion signed a permanent deal with the club. After finally leaving Manchester United, Bellion said he had no hard feelings toward the club, and also said his experience in English football was "frustrating". In his first permanent season at Nice, Bellion's form dropped. He made several critical errors and misjudgements, and scored eight goals. Following an injury on 23 December 2006, in a 2–1 loss against Lens, it was announced that Bellion would be out for three weeks. Soon after, he had another injury on his right fibula. He completed his recovery on 9 March 2007 after three months on the sidelines. Despite this, Bellion finished his first season with eight goals, making him the club's joint top scorer in the league along with Bakari Koné. Bordeaux Bellion joined Bordeaux on 15 July 2007, signing a four-year deal for a fee rumoured to total €4.5 million. He was signed as a replacement for Jean-Claude Darcheville. He marked his first match by scoring the only goal in