 It was in the latter half of the 2001–02 season that he established himself as a regular in the Metz lineup, but fell out of favour by August 2004, when he was loaned out to Ligue 2 club LB Châteauroux.A year later he returned to Metz to start in the first two matches of the 2005–06 season, but then transferred to FC Lorient in Ligue 2.Lorient won promotion with him in the team, and he was a regular for them in the opening months of 2006–07 in Ligue 1.