By Wayne Veysey

Done deal: Former Arsenal star completes move to Sunderland

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.

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.