It’s fair to say that Yaya Sanogo’s Arsenal career hasn’t started on the right track.
Yes, he scored four goals against Benfica in the Emirates Cup last season and he danced like a crazy bloke after most of the goals but when the campaign began, Sanogo was found wanting. Even though he wasn’t a regular starter, Arsene Wenger brought him on when the Gunners needed to salvage a point and get an extra presence in attack in games. When he made a start ahead of Lukas Podolski when the Gunners hosted Borussia Dortmund in the Group Stages of last season’s competition. There were some murmurs and discontent with the Frenchman starting the game but it took him 72 seconds to open his goalscoring account for the club.
With his chances of featuring further diminished when Olivier Giroud returned to full fitness, Sanogo was shipped out on loan to Crystal Palace when Alan Pardew took over and in 11 appearances for the Eagles, he managed to score only one goal in the 3-2 FA Cup victory over Southampton. Towards the end of the campaign, Pardew favored Dwight Gayle and Glenn Murray ahead of Sanogo and when the season ended, Sanogo was stuffed into a bag and returned back to the Emirates Stadium.
With Arsenal fans harboring hopes of a new forward from the transfer market, coupled with the fact that the likes of Giroud, Danny Welbeck and even Theo Walcott are capable of leading the line, Sanogo’s chances of playing regular football in the upcoming season are slim to none. French sports site, Le 10 Sport, reports that LOSC Lille Metropole are interested in securing Sanogo’s services on loan.
Lille endured a torrid campaign last season and was a far cry from the side that dominated the French Ligue 1 when they had the likes of Eden Hazard, Gervinho and Moussa Sow with Rudi Garcia on the dugout. With Rene Girard at the helm of affairs last season, Lille finished in eighth place in Ligue 1, and will not be competing in Europe next season. They were eliminated from the Coupe de France in the Round of 64 by SC Bastia and they lost out on Champions League qualification when they were beaten by FC Porto in the playoffs.
Their performances in the Europa League last season were downright shocking, as they finished in the bottom of a group that contained Krasnodar, Everton and Lord Bendtner’s Wolfsburg. The club had a great run in the Coupe de la Ligue and went all the way to the semifinals but they lost out narrowly to eventual winners, PSG.
Sanogo would be a good fit for Lille next season because the club struggled to score goals last season, even though it would be interesting to see if the Frenchman can contribute to the team’s cause though. The club’s joint top scorers last season were Divock Origi and Nolan Roux that manged nine goals apiece and with Origi returning to his parent club, Liverpool, a replacement is needed.
Sanogo has his best years ahead of him and a loan move to a club like Lille will expose him to more competitive football – something he’s in glaring need of.
It’s a move that’s good for the player and the club.
Sayonara.
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