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 regarded as ‘the next Thierry Henry,’ now leads a very different lifestyle eight years after departing the club.

After Thierry Henry’s exit from Arsenal in 2007, several forwards have tried to succeed him, with varied success. Robin van Persie took over as the main striker and scored enough goals to earn a transfer to Manchester United. However, his successors have had mixed fortunes. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was possibly the most successful, while Alexandre Lacazette, bought for a hefty sum from Lyon, failed to meet the prolific standards that fans had expected.

Currently, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus are Arsenal’s main forward options, although both are injured and could miss the rest of the season, with Jesus already confirmed to have an ACL injury.

In 2013, Arsène Wenger thought he had found a potential successor to Henry in Yaya Sanogo. After scoring 10 goals in 13 Ligue 2 appearances for Auxerre the previous season, Sanogo was signed to a long-term deal with Arsenal. He was even nominated for the 2013 Golden Boy award, with Wenger praising him as a future star. However, things did not go as hoped for the young French striker at Arsenal.

Sanogo made his debut in August 2013 and featured in several important matches, but he failed to score in his first 14 appearances. His first goal came in November 2014 during a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, and that remained his only goal for the club.

By January 2015, Sanogo had played his last match for Arsenal and was loaned to Crystal Palace in the Premier League. He netted once in the FA Cup but struggled in the league, failing to score in 10 appearances.

Following loan spells at Ajax and Championship side Charlton, Sanogo was released by Arsenal in the summer of 2017. He then returned to France, signing with Ligue 1’s Toulouse, where he had a stronger first season, scoring nine goals in all competitions.

However, Sanogo was unable to replicate that success in the following two seasons, and his career took another downturn with a brief and underwhelming spell at Huddersfield Town during the 2020/21 season.

Yaya Sanogo’s career took a surprising turn after leaving Arsenal. In 2023, after being without a club for 18 months, the French striker signed with Urartu in Armenia’s Premier League. He had a strong debut, scoring twice, but an injury in his second match sidelined him for two months. Despite limited appearances, Sanogo contributed to the team’s Armenian Premier League title win, though he didn’t play enough to earn a medal.

He also participated in the Armenian Super Cup but was on the losing team. During the 2023/24 season, Sanogo scored four goals for Urartu before moving to Chinese second-tier side Qingdao Red Lions. In his first season with Qingdao, Sanogo scored six goals in 19 matches, despite the team fighting relegation.

Sanogo spoke positively about his move to China, recalling a favorable experience from a 2009 tournament in Asia. Qingdao manager Sun Xinbo praised Sanogo for his commitment and role in the young squad, noting the club’s high expectations for him.