hɪz fˈɜːst sˈiːzən wʌz mˈoʊstli spˈɛnt ɔnðə bˈɛntʃ, bˌʌt ᵻvˈɛntʃuːəli hiː bɪkˌeɪm wˈʌn ʌvðə tˈiːmz mˈoːɹ ɪmpˈoːɹtənt plˈeɪɚz ʌntˈɪl, dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðə tˈuː θˈaʊzənd fˈoːɹ sˈiːzən, hiː wʌz sˈoʊld tʊ ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ klˈʌb saʊθˈæmptən.
His first season was mostly spent on the bench, but eventually he became one of the team's more important players until, during the 2004 season, he was sold to English club Southampton.