Arsenal sign veteran French keeper, Saints splash cash on Prutton

Arsenal signed experienced French goalkeeper Guillaume Warmuz on a short-term contract as the January transfer window drew to a close with a sudden burst of activity.

Middlesbrough's four-million-pound swoop for Bolton striker Michael Ricketts was the highlight of a busy day which also saw Southampton sign England under-21 international midfielder David Prutton until the end of the season.

West Ham signed up 33-year-old Fulham fullback Rufus Brevett for an undisclosed fee in an effort to shore up their leaky defence.

Sunderland also brought in defensive reinforcements with Paris St Germain defender Talal El Karkouri, a Morocco international, joining on a six-month loan deal.

Warmuz, 32, was a free agent after retiring from French first division club Lens at the end of last year. He had made over 400 appearances for the club and played for them in this season's Champions League.

Arsenal, who are considering a move for Brazilian World Cup winning keeper Marcos in the summer, are down to two fit keepers after number two Rami Shaaban broke a leg at Christmas.

"Since the injury to Rami Shaaban, it was very important that we brought in another goalkeeper as cover," manager Arsene Wenger said.

"We are very pleased to have signed Guillaume. He is a very experienced player and has proved during his time with Lens that he is a very capable goalkeeper."

Warmuz was delighted to join up with Wenger and the French 'colony' at Arsenal. "I am delighted to be joining Arsenal. They are a team full of world class players and I am looking forward to playing for one of the best clubs in Europe."

He is available for Saturday's match at home to Fulham but is ruled out of any part in Arsenal's Champions League campaign having already played in the tournament.

Southampton had a bid for Prutton rejected two weeks ago but Forest accepted an increased offer and the player was able to sign a four and a half year deal on Friday.

His signature came too late for him to feature in Saturday's home game against Manchester United but Saints chairman Rupert Lowe was delighted with the acquisition.

"He is a really good player and all the training staff were very keen to sign him. This is the big one we wanted," Lowe said.

"But we were not prepared to pay over the odds so it was a question of holding our nerve and making sure we got the best possible deal for this club."

Forest chief executive Mark Arthur said: "We have accepted what we consider to be an excellent offer for David, bearing in mind that he recently turned down our offer of a new three-and-a-half-year contract."