By North-east correspondent Harry Sykes
Emmanuel Eboue has joined Sunderland on a short-term contract until the end of the season, the club announced on Wednesday afternoon.
The former Arsenal defender, who had been a free agent after leaving Galatasaray, has been training with the Black Cats for the last month.
In a statement on their website, Sunderland said: “The former Ivory Coast full-back will remain with the Black Cats until the end of the 2015-16 Barclays Premier League season, having impressed following his arrival on Wearside a number of weeks ago.”
Eboue played 90 minutes for Sunderland Under-21’s against Leicester last week and manager Sam Allardyce revealed he was set to hand the Ivory Coast international a short-term deal after Under-21s coach Andy Welsh gave him a glowing assessment.
Eboue will fill one of the two remaining spaces in Sunderland’s 25-man Premier League squad and is set to offer an option at right-back in a position that the club are struggling in, with Billy Jones and DeAndre Yedlin the current options.
#SAFC have completed the signing of former @Arsenal defender Emmanuel Eboue – https://t.co/EZTCZj0NPH pic.twitter.com/kNMowFu8qT
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) March 9, 2016
Eboue spent six years at Arsenal from 2005 to 2011, making 214 appearances in total, before joining Galatasaray for £2.5million.
In other Sunderland news, former chief executive Margaret Byrne has resigned in the wake of her role in the Adam Johnson sex scandal.
