On 21 March 2010, it was revealed he was left out of Portsmouth's match squad the previous day as, if he played one more game, the club would have to pay a £4 million fee to Lens. With Portsmouth in administration, they could not afford to pay this fee, and so he was dropped. However, he subsequently played in the FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur on 11 April 2010, and Portsmouth were aiming to negotiate terms with Lens that allow him to play in the FA Cup Final and the remaining Premier League games without incurring the £4 million fee.