Arsenal will be without one less striker at the club next season, but I don’t think too many supporters will miss him.
Yaya Sanogo has revealed to French media outlet, L’Equipe, that he will leave the club at the end of this month and become a free agent after letting his contract run down.
Although he’s been short of appearances and has literally scored one goal for the first team in the space of four years, Sanogo has given us plenty to smile about.
His four goal haul in the Emirates Cup and crucial footwork to help Aaron Ramsey grab us the winner in the FA Cup back in 2014 will be in our hearts forever, but this won’t be an emotional goodbye.
At 24 years of age the striker is sick of picking up the odd game with the Under-23’s and after recovering from injuries all season, he’s ready for a fresh start elsewhere:
I’m free. The adventure ends.
After we won our title of Under-20 World Champions in Turkey, I was quickly launched into the bath by Arsene Wenger.
I play, including a qualifying match for the Champions League against Fenerbache. And then I hurt myself. I did not have an operation. But from that moment on, my body often let me go.
The wounds have cut off my momentum. There are times when I was well, I remember the summer of 2014 when, during the Emirates Cup, I put a quadruple against Benfica.
Then there were bad choices, I way not always do what is necessary to impose on me. My left calf is healed. It kept me away from the fields for almost seven months.
I resumed in January, with a physical trainer. I was able to play again with the Arsenal reserves.
Sanogo has provided us with plenty of laughs along the way and despite heading out on loan to the likes of Charlton and Crystal Palace, things just haven’t worked out.
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With the Frenchman off into the distance it’ll free up plenty of cash to re-structure the wage books, and knock off some of the deadwood.
Sanogo’s departure is just the start of a major revamp in this squad, with plenty of names also sitting on the chopping block – including Wojciech Szczesny and Jack Wilshere.
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