Emmanuel Eboué is close to being enlisted by Sunderland who regard the former Arsenal right-back as a potentially valuable weapon in their fight against relegation. Sam Allardyce expects the 32-year-old to sign a short-term contract at the Stadium of Light within the next few days following a successful trial on Wearside.
Sunderland’s manager said: “We will try to sign him by the end of the week if we can negotiate a contract until the end of the season. It would be wrong of me to turn down a player with such great experience of the Premier League, Champions League and international football – or not to think that he could play a part for us in our fight against relegation this season.”
Allardyce has been impressed by the Ivory Coast full-back during his trial, with his only doubts concerning the player’s fitness. Eboué is a free agent after being released by Galatasaray but made 216 first team appearances for Arsenal from 2005-2011. “He’s a terrific guy, a very, very good talker as well as a good player,” Allardyce said. “Hopefully when the test comes, he is fit enough to cope.
“I think that’s probably the only reason you would be concerned, has he still got the capabilities physically to cope with the Premier League? Because he has certainly got the experience and the talent, there’s no question about that, so we will look forward to him signing on to the end of the season, hopefully.”
Allardyce has regarded right-back as something of a problem position since succeeding Dick Advocaat as Sunderland’s manager, and failed in an attempt to sign Mathieu Debuchy on loan from Arsenal in January.
