Forgotten Arsenal player dubbed 'the new Thierry Henry' is now living a very different life eight years after leaving club
A former Arsenal player once dubbed as 'the next Thierry Henry' is leaving a very different life eight years on from leaving the club.
A number of Arsenal forwards have tried to fill the mantle left by the legendary Frenchman since he left the club in 2007 - with differing levels of success.
Robin van Persie succeeded Henry as Arsenal's main centre forward and his goals earned him a move to Manchester United, but his successors' fortunes have been mixed since then.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was perhaps the most successful, while Alexandre Lacazette was signed for big money from Lyon but was ultimately not as prolific as Arsenal fans would have hoped.
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Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus are the club's current striking options, although both players are injured and could each miss the rest of the season - with Jesus' ACL injury already confirmed.
Back in 2013, manager Arsene Wenger thought he had found a player who could fill Henry's shoes in time - but it never worked out.
In August 2013, Arsenal signed striker Yaya Sanogo to a long-term contract after scoring 10 goals in 13 Ligue 2 games for Auxerre in the previous season.
The young Frenchman was even nominated for the 2013 Golden Boy award, and Wenger spoke of him as a potential future star.
After his signing was confirmed, the Gunners boss said: "He has shown he has potential with his recent performances for Auxerre and also for the France Under-20 side.
"We are looking forward to Yaya joining us and continuing his promising development. He has a big future here, of course."
Sanogo made his Arsenal debut in August 2013, and featured in several major matches for the Gunners, but failed to score a goal in any of his 14 appearances in his first campaign.
It took the Frenchman until November 2014 to score what proved to be his only goal, during a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League group stage.
Sanogo had played his last game for Arsenal by the following January, when he was loaned out to fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace. He netted one goal in the FA Cup but again failed to open his league account with no goals in 10 games.
After loan spels at Ajax and Championship side Charlton, Sanogo was released by Arsenal in the summer of 2017.
He subsequently returned to his home country to sign for Ligue 1 side Toulouse, and achieved some success with nine goals in all competitions in his debut season.
But he failed to reach those heights in his next two campaigns, before an underwhelming short-term spell at Huddersfield Town in the 2020/21 season.
Sanogo's career path since then has been remarkable.
In 2023, after 18 months without a club, the French striker signed from Urartu of the Armenian Premier League.
He scored two goals on his debut for the club, before suffering an injury in his second appearance that caused him to miss two months of action.
Still, Sanogo was still an Armenian Premier League winner with the club, despite not playing enough matches to earn a medal.
He then came off the bench for Urartu's Armenian Super Cup clash against Shirak but ended up on the losing side.
Sanogo would score four goals for Urartu in the 2023/24 season before leaving the club to join Chinese second tier side Qingdao Red Lions.
In a statement after his departure, Urartu wrote: "We thank Yaya Sanogo for his dedicated work and wish him success in his future career."
Qingdao have been battling relegation this season but Sanogo has managed six goals in 19 appearances for the club.
Chinese outlet CGTN released a short video earlier this year documenting the now 32-year-old striker's time at the second division club.
Speaking about his move to Qingdao, Sanogo revealed he had never visited China before his move: "In my head, I didn't know what to expect.
"When this offer came in, I said, 'Okay'. I'd been to Asia in 2009 for a tournament, and it was a great experience. I remember about Asia, that it was good, actually. So I thought why not go to China? It was an easy decision.
Qingdao manager Sun Xinbo said: "Yaya is the first foreign player that joined the club. He is very dedicated and a big help to a young squad like ours.
"We rely on him to convert scoring chances - we have some high expectations for him. We talk a lot, and he is quite happy about the atmosphere inside the team and our tactics."
Topics: Arsenal, Premier League, Thierry Henry, Champions League
Ryan Smart