A surprise story surfaced earlier today, as former Arsenal full-back Emmanuel Eboue was revealed to now be training with Sunderland as he looks to stay on top of his fitness and secure a contract at a new club. A potential offer from Sunderland is a possibility in the near future due to their problems, at right-back.
The 32-year old last played in Turkey with Galatasaray, but his contract was allowed to run down in the summer and the Ivory Coast international has been without a club ever since.
An experienced defender
If the signing of Eboue is an avenue that Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce wishes to explore, it would be a rather safe one; the defender is experienced in many different competitions including the Premier League where he spent six years with Arsenal. He appeared 214 times for the Gunners and scored 10 goals over that period.
With Billy Jones and DeAndre Yedlin not instilling great confidence in Allardyce's mind and summer signing Adam Matthews still yet to come close to featuring in the first team on a regular basis, the potential signing of Eboue would likely receive the stamp of approval from the majority of Sunderland fans.
They have become very tired with the performances of starting right-back, Jones in the last two matches against Manchester City and Liverpool.
In addition to his time with Arsenal, Eboue has also played for Ivorian side ASEC Mimosas, Belgian side KSK Beveren as well as Turkish giants Galatasaray, where he featured in prestigious competitions such as the UEFA Champions League.
A potentially useful move
Due to the Ivorian being a free agent, the potential signing would be largely risk free and would represent a shrewd piece of business by Allardyce and his scouting team
The player's Premier League experience potentially being a valuable asset in Sunderland's bid to avoid relegation.