Emmanuel Eboue reveals desire to secure Arsenal return after Galatasaray exit

Emmanuel Eboue has revealed his desire to secure an unlikely return to Arsenal, four years after leaving English football in order to complete a €3.5m (£2.6m, $3.8m) switch to Galatasaray. The Ivorian right-back made 216 appearances in all competitions during his previous stint with the Gunners, although he failed to win a single trophy despite participating in two League Cup finals in addition to the Champions League defeat to Barcelona in 2006.

He subsequently went on to win three Super Lig titles and two Turkish cups during an eventful spell in Istanbul, eventually leaving Galatasaray at the end of the 2014/15 campaign having spent the final year of his contract firmly out of the first-team picture under Cesare Prandelli and successor Hamza Hamzaoglu. The 32-year-old evidently remains disgruntled about how that last season was handled, but claims he would love to play for Arsenal again in future as the search for a new club continues.

"I came back for training and was told I would not be playing," he told The Sun. "The president told the manager at the time not to pick me. The way I was treated was very unfair. We are looking for options but I'd love to come back to Arsenal."

Arsene Wenger is hardly short of right-backs at present, with former Barcelona trainee Hector Bellerin impressing since being handed a regular starting role last term. Versatile defender Calum Chambers can also occupy the position, although Arsenal may need to seek specialist cover before the transfer window closes on 1 February depending on what transpires with regards to the immediate future of current back-up Mathieu Debuchy.

After an injury-plagued first season in north London that included surgery on both his ankle and shoulder, the former Lille and Newcastle man lost his place to Bellerin and is now actively looking to secure a move elsewhere in order to win back a spot in Didier Deschamps' senior France squad ahead of Euro 2016.

Aston Villa manager Remi Garde has previously expressed an interest in Debuchy and held discussions with Wenger earlier in January regarding a number of transfer possibilities. Juventus, Roma and West Brom have also been linked to the player this month.

Responding to that speculation, he recently told The Guardian: "It's true, they [Villa] are among the teams interested in me I am currently studying everything but it's not a possibility I have excluded. Whatever happens, even if it is to return this summer and then start again, I have to go this winter. I cannot stay at Arsenal.

"I do not know who is responsible. Last year I got injured and I've been away a long time and Bellerín played some good matches. This summer, I had a good preparation and I was able to resume the season – but the coach decided otherwise.

"It is very hard, I went through difficult times. This is the first time I find myself in this situation. Playing a match every two months, that's not possible."