Arsenal have announced that Brighton & Hove Albion goalkeeper Mathew Ryan has joined the club on loan until the end of the season.

Following Matt Macey’s departure to Hibernian and the ill-form of Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson, Ryan is seen as a short-term solution as Arsenal look to bring in a back-up goalkeeper to compete with Bernd Leno.

As is Arsenal’s usual preference, the January window seems to have been reserved entirely for loan deals rather than signing players outright.

Ryan is the number one for Australia and previously plaued at Club Brugge, Valencia and Genk before making the switch to Brighton & Hove Albion, keeping ten clean sheets in his first season in the Premier League.

Ryan, a boyhood Arsenal fan, represents the first move to bring players in this window, with the club expected to chase a left-back and a central attacking midfielder, with Real Madrid’s Martin Ødegaard edging ever close to a move.

Ryan will wear the number 33 shirt.