Former Brighton goalkeeper Mat Ryan is delighted with his move to Real Sociedad.

The Australia international, after spending the second-half of last season on-loan with Arsenal, has signed for La Real in an outright deal.

He said, "I am very happy to be here. I have already seen that the club in recent years has achieved many things and I am very excited. I am also ambitious, I am a winner, and those goals of the club suit me, I am here to help the club to get them."

Ryan admits speaking with former Arsenal teammate Martin Odegaard about La Real. The Real Madrid midfielder had a successful 12 months on-loan in San Sebastian.

He said: "He told me that La Real is playing at a very high level and I want to play at the highest level I can. I spoke with him before coming here and he gave me a 10 out of 10 mark about the club and the city, so that's helped me. And, when talking to the club, you can see that it is a special club."

Ryan has revealed that he had other offers from LaLiga clubs: "A couple of days after reaching an agreement with La Real, Villarreal was interested in me, but I had already given my word to La Real, so they were too late."