mˈʌtʃ mˈiːdiːə hˈaɪp sɚɹˈaʊndᵻd ðə pˈaʊɚfəl fɹˈɛntʃmən æz ðə klˈʌb pˈeɪd pˈaʊnd θɹˈiː.sˈɪks ˈɛm fɔːɹ hɪz sˈɪɡnɪtʃɚ, bˌʌt hiː stɹˈʌɡəld tʊ ɐdˈæpt tə ðə pˈeɪs ʌvðɪ ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ pɹəmˈɪɹʃɪp ænd sˈʌndɚləndz stˈaɪl ʌv dᵻɹˈɛkt fˈʊtbɔːl.
Much media hype surrounded the powerful Frenchman as the club paid £3.6m for his signature, but he struggled to adapt to the pace of the English Premiership and Sunderland's style of direct football.