Arsenal complete loan deal for Palermo keeper Emiliano Viviano

According to Fox Soccer, Palermo have officially announced that keeper Emiliano Viviano is on his way to Arsenal on a one-year loan with an option to buy at year's end:

DONE DEAL: Palermo formally announces loan deal of GK Emiliano Viviano to Arsenal. Deal includes option to buy for $9m at season's end.

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) September 2, 2013

Viviano, as we mentioned previously, is the backup to Gianluigi Buffon in the Italy setup, so he's, uh, you know, good at keeping footballs from going into football nets. He will back up Wojciech Szczesny, which should light a fire under the Pole's rear end to keep his form up. Palermo were relegated to Serie B at the end of last season, so new manager Gennaro Gattuso probably needed to move some pieces around to get the financial picture in order at his club, and this will help.

This is a good thing, everyone.

EDIT: Palermo have confirmed the deal.