Forgotten Arsenal player dubbed ‘the new Thierry Henry’ is now living a very different life eight years after leaving club

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**Arsenal News**

A former Arsenal player, once hailed as ‘the new Thierry Henry,’ now leads a completely different life eight years after leaving the club.

After Thierry Henry’s departure from Arsenal in 2007, numerous forwards attempted to fill his shoes, with varying success. Robin van Persie took over as the primary striker, scoring enough goals to earn a move to Manchester United. However, his successors had mixed fortunes. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was arguably the most successful, while Alexandre Lacazette, signed for a significant fee from Lyon, couldn’t meet the prolific standards expected by fans.

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

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

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

By January 2015, Sanogo had made his final appearance for Arsenal and was loaned to Crystal Palace. He scored once in the FA Cup but struggled in the league, failing to find the net in 10 appearances.

After loan spells at Ajax and Charlton, Sanogo was released by Arsenal in the summer of 2017. He then returned to France, joining Toulouse in Ligue 1, where he had a better first season, scoring nine goals across all competitions.

However, Sanogo couldn’t replicate that success in the following two seasons, and his career took another downturn with a brief and underwhelming stint at Huddersfield Town during the 2020/21 season.

After leaving Arsenal, Yaya Sanogo’s career took an unexpected direction. In 2023, after an 18-month period without a club, the French forward 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 receive a medal.

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

Sanogo reflected positively on his move to China, recalling a pleasant experience during a 2009 tournament in Asia. Qingdao manager Sun Xinbo commended Sanogo for his dedication and his role within the young squad, highlighting the club’s high expectations for him.