Arsenal thought he was the 'new Henry' but he didn't reach his potential: He has now been dropped by the Chinese second-tier club

Arsenal has "lived" for years with the fantastic players it has brought from France, among many of whom was Yaya Sanogo. 

It's no secret that Arsene Wenger liked to bring in talent from his own country, but not all the players he brought in managed to show the expected brilliance. 

One of the names that generated hope, but then caused disappointment, is striker Yaya Sanogo. The English media called him "the new Thierry Henry", but the reality turned out to be much more difficult. 

Sanogo failed to realize his potential and his career suffered a complete collapse.  

More than 11 years have passed since Wenger bought him from Auxerre, calling him: "A great signing for the future. He has shown potential in his performances for Auxerre and the French youth team. I am delighted that he will join us and he has a great future ahead of him," the French coach declared at the time. 

However, after a goal on his Champions League debut, Sanogo's career took an unexpected turn.  

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He scored just one goal in 20 appearances for Arsenal and was sent out on loan repeatedly. Unfortunately, he never managed to find the right form anywhere. 

Today, at 32, Sanogo is a clubless player. His last two stops were in Armenia with Urartu and in the Chinese second division with Qingdao Red Lions.  

OFFICIAL

Qingdao Red Lions announced 10 players leaving.
Yaya Sanogo 31 yo 🇫🇷 FW
Samuel Asamoah 30 yo 🇹🇬 DM
Jimmy Mwanga 25 yo 🇮🇪 FW
Chen Hao-Wei 32 yo🇹🇼 RW
Zanhar Beshathan 23 yo FW
Dai Bowei 23 yo CB
Chen Long 35 yo RB
Sun Weijia 20 yo CM
Li Guihao 24 yo RM
Li Tongrui 23 yo DF pic.twitter.com/HBad9gpWxR

— HOTPOT FOOTBALL (@HotpotFootball) January 23, 2025

A sad end to a career that once held so much promise. /Telegraph/