Arsenal Football Club can confirm that goalkeeper Vito Mannone has joined Sunderland for an undisclosed fee.

The 25-year old Italian will team up with Paolo Di Canio’s side after spending eight years with the Gunners, during which time he made 23 appearances for the Club.

Mannone joined Arsenal from Atalanta in 2005 and it was not long before he enjoyed his first taste of action in the Championship on loan with Barnsley during the 2006/07 season.

Over the next two seasons, the goalkeeper became a regular around the Gunners’ first-team squad, eventually making his debut against Stoke City in the Premier League in May 2009. After a series of impressive performances, he spent two further successful loan stints with Hull City to gain valuable first team experience, playing 23 times for the Tigers during 2011/12 – a spell which was notable for an outstanding run of nine clean sheets in 11 league matches, which saw the Yorkshire side finish narrowly outside the play-off places.

Last season, Mannone was a mainstay in the Arsenal first-team squad for much of the campaign, stepping in for Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski and making nine Premier League appearances plus a further four in the UEFA Champions League.

Everyone at Arsenal would like to thank Vito for his contribution to the Club and wish him well for his future career.