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27th Dec 2017

Arsenal offer to help troubled former defender Emmanuel Eboue

We hope he gets the help he needs

Matthew Gault

We hope he gets the help he needs.

Arsenal have offered to help their former defender Emmanuel Eboue just days after he revealed the depth of his problems.

Eboue, speaking to the Daily Mirror, said he seriously contemplated suicide after financial mismanagement left him struggling to make ends meet. The Ivorian right-back was forced to sleep in his friend’s house and has been estranged from his three children after a bitter divorce.

The 34-year-old’s struggles prompted an outpouring of sympathy and Arsenal have now said they will help following confirmation that Galatasaray, another of his former clubs, had offered him an academy coaching role.

An Arsenal spokesperson said:

“We are all so sorry to hear the reports about Manu’s recent difficulties and will explore whether we can help in any way.”

During happier times in his football career, Eboue was a regular starter for Arsenal and was on a lucrative contract with the north London club before earning a seven-figure sum at Galatasaray.

It was shocking to hear of Eboue’s spiralling troubles but it’s equally heartening to hear that he has been offered help and can begin to rebuild his life.