to Marseille On 29 August 2008, Mears caused controversy when he flew to France to go on trial with Olympique de Marseille without the express permission of Derby manager Paul Jewell. Jewell responded, saying that Mears would never play for the club again whilst he was in charge, and the club fined Mears six weeks wages. Following the trial, the clubs agreed that Mears would go on loan to Marseille for the duration of the 2008–09 season, for a loan fee of £160,000, with the French club having the option to buy him for £1.5m at the end of the loan. A combination of injury and the good form of Laurent Bonnart meant that Mears did not make his first appearance for Marseille until the UEFA Cup tie against FC Twente in mid-January. Following an injury in March that ruled Bonnart out for the rest of the season, Mears filled in at right-back in his absence. He made his league debut against Paris Saint-Germain. His first goal for Marseille came in the second leg of a UEFA Cup knockout-stage match against Ajax. His goal, scored in the 20th minute of extra time, gave Marseille a 4–3 win on aggregate, allowing the team to progress to the competition's quarter-final round. Mears went on to make seven appearances in all competitions. Marseille decided not to take up the option of signing him at the end of his loan spell and he returned to Derby on 3 June 2009, with his future at the club in doubt. Burnley On 26 June 2009, he was the subject of an accepted £500,000 (rising to £600,000 with add-ons) bid from Premier League side Burnley. He completed the move, signing a three-year deal on 30 June. Mears made his Burnley debut in a 2–0 defeat at Stoke City in the opening game of the season, followed up by bouncing back in the next game, with a 1–0 victory over defending champions, Manchester United. Mears then provided an assist to help the club score two goals, in a 2–0 win over Hull City on 31 October 2009. After the match, Mears' performance was praised by Manager Owen Coyle. His performances also saw him being linked with a move to Premier League rivals' Sunderland, but this was denied by the club. Despite this, Mears stayed at the club and played in all 38 games as Burnley were relegated after