Vito Mannone (born 2 March 1988) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Ligue 1 club Lille.
Born in Desio, Lombardy, from Sicilian parents,[3] Mannone was signed by Arsène Wenger during the summer of 2005, joining Arsenal from Atalanta on a three-year deal for a £350,000 compensation fee.
On 18 August 2006, Mannone was sent out on a three-month loan to Championship club Barnsley, where he was expected to challenge Nick Colgan for the number-one spot.
[9] In his next match, starting in place of the suspended Colgan, against Luton Town, he dropped a cross late on and Ahmet Brković scored the winner.
After suffering a knee injury, Mannone's loan period was cut short and he returned to Arsenal on 23 October 2006 for treatment.
However, he was an unused substitute in all of the club's five matches in the competition, before they were knocked-out in the semi-finals by North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Following the departure of Jens Lehmann in the summer of 2008, Mannone became Arsenal's third-choice goalkeeper, behind Manuel Almunia and Łukasz Fabiański.
On 19 July 2008, he was brought on for the second half of Arsenal's 2–1 pre-season friendly win over Barnet at Underhill, keeping a clean sheet.
[13] With first choice goalkeeper Manuel Almunia and back-up Łukasz Fabiański out injured, Mannone made his first UEFA Champions League start against Standard Liège, in Arsenal's first group stage match on 16 September 2009.
[15] Mannone also kept a clean sheet in a 1–0 win against Fulham at Craven Cottage on 26 September 2009, in which he pulled off many good saves and almost single-handedly kept Arsenal in the game.
Mannone made a blunder that allowed David Fuster to score Olympiakos' second goal of the night and Arsenal eventually lost the game 3–1.
[24] His first game back at the KC Stadium was an FA Cup third round match against Ipswich Town, with Hull City winning 3–1.
Due to injuries to both Wojciech Szczęsny and Łukasz Fabiański, Mannone was the first choice goalkeeper, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–0 draw against Stoke City, and keeping another clean sheet a week later against Liverpool at Anfield.
[28] On 22 April 2014, Mannone was named the Sunderland Supporters' Player of the Year at a special presentation night at the Stadium of Light.
[30] Mannone began the 2014–15 season as first choice, but after a series of poor performances culminating in an 8–0 loss at Southampton and a 2–0 home defeat at Arsenal the following week he was dropped in favour of Costel Pantilimon.
[31] Pantilimon remained first choice for the rest of the season, with Mannone only featuring in cup games and in a 3–1 defeat at Chelsea on the final day.
[32] After Pantilimon was transferred to Watford in January 2016, Mannone remained first choice over Jordan Pickford for the rest of the season, as Sunderland fought an ultimately successful battle against relegation, with their safety eventually being confirmed with a 3–0 home victory over Everton on 11 May 2016.
[43] On 29 August 2023, Mannone joined Ligue 1 side Lille on a permanent deal as a back-up goalkeeper behind Lucas Chevalier, signing a two-year contract.