July 2008, Upson's squad number of 6 was retired by the club in memory of Bobby Moore, after which he took the number 15 shirt. In August 2009, following the departure of Lucas Neill, Upson was appointed captain of West Ham. He captained West Ham through a difficult 2009–10 campaign in which he scored a goal in the opening match against Wolverhampton Wanderers and two more against Stoke City and Portsmouth. Following West Ham's relegation from the Premier League in May 2011, new manager Sam Allardyce confirmed that Upson would leave the club when his contract expired. Stoke City Upson joined Stoke City on a two-year contract on 9 August 2011. He said that playing in the UEFA Europa League was one of the main reasons he decided to join Stoke. Upson made his debut for Stoke in a 1–0 victory over FC Thun in the Europa League, and scored his first goal for the club in the second leg in a 4–1 victory at the Britannia Stadium. After joining Stoke, Upson and fellow summer signing Jonathan Woodgate were used as backup to first-choice centre backs Robert Huth and Ryan Shawcross. He was a regular in the Europa League, appearing in all six group matches, but was sent off in the last as Stoke qualified for the round of 32. He scored his first league goal for Stoke in a 2–0 home win against Swansea City on 26 February 2012 in a man-of-the-match performance. With Shawcross suspended, Upson made his first League appearance of the 2012–13 season on 29 December 2012 against Southampton; he scored Stoke's second goal in a 3–3 draw. Brighton & Hove Albion On 31 January 2013, Upson joined Championship club Brighton & Hove Albion on loan until the end of the season. He scored his first goal for the Seagulls in a 6–1 win over Blackpool on 20 April. Released by Stoke at the end of the season, Upson joined Brighton on a permanent basis on 10 July 2013, signing a one-year contract. He was voted the club's Player of the Year in 2013–14. Leicester City On 23 May 2014, Upson agreed a one-year contract with newly promoted Premier League club Leicester City. After spending the first half of the season on the sidelines with injury, he returned to full training in late January 2015. On 10 February, Upson made his Leicester debut, playing nearly an