By Kayode OGUNDARE
Former Arsenal defender Emmanuel Eboue has eight games to impress Sunderland until the end of the season after Sam Allardyce handed the Ivorien a two month deal at the Stadium of Light.
And the 32-year-old, who had been training with the North East club for the past three weeks, could make his debut as early as the Tyne-Wear derby on March 20 as the Black Cats continue the struggle to preserve their Premier League status.
Eboue left Turkish club Galatasary in the summer of 2015 and is understood to have impressed the Black Cats manager in his trial period.
The defender, who has 79 caps for Ivory Coast, played 130 times for Arsenal in the Premier League between 2005 and 2011 and became a cult figure at the Emirates, despite failing to win a single trophy in his time at the club.
Arsenal fans were known to hail their charismatic full-back by singing “You’ve only come to see Eboue” to opposition fans.
Having moved to Galatasaray in 2011 for €3.5million, Eboue endured an unhappy four years in Turkey, including alleged racist abuse from rival fans and the club president ordering the manager not to play Eboue.
After leaving the club in May 2015, the defender stated his desire to return to Arsenal during the January transfer window.
“We are looking for options,” Eboue told The Sun, “but I’d love to come back to Arsenal.”
He was understood to be training with the Premier League strugglers in order to keep fit, having not played a competitive game since May 2015.
Sunderland sit one place outside the relegation on goal difference following their draw with Southampton.
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