He had first requested to leave the club a year earlier, when he had declared his interest in joining a bigger Premier League club, and was subject of interest from the likes of Everton, Leicester City, Nottingham Forest and Southampton, with fees as high as £4 million being quoted.
hiː hæd fˈɜːst ɹᵻkwˈɛstᵻd tə lˈiːv ðə klˈʌb ɐ jˈɪɹ ˈɜːlɪɚ, wˌɛn hiː hæd dᵻklˈɛɹd hɪz ˈɪntɹɛst ɪn dʒˈɔɪnɪŋ ɐ bˈɪɡɚ pɹəmˈɪɹ lˈiːɡ klˈʌb, ænd wʌz sˈʌbdʒɛkt ʌv ˈɪntɹɛst fɹʌmðə lˈaɪks ʌv ˈɛvɚtən, lˈɛstɚ sˈɪɾi, nˈɑːɾɪŋˌæm fˈɔːɹɪst ænd saʊθˈæmptən, wɪð fˈiːz æz hˈaɪ æz pˈaʊnd fˈoːɹ mˈɪliən bˌiːɪŋ kwˈoʊɾᵻd.