He then moved to West Ham United in 1997 for a fee of £2.5 million.[4] He made his West Ham debut on 9 April 1997 in a 0–0 draw with Middlesbrough; his first goal coming on 3 December 1997 in a 4–1 defeat of Crystal Palace.[4] He made 227 competitive appearances, scoring 13 goals,[4] became club captain and was a member of the West Ham team which won the Intertoto Cup in 1999.[5]