A former Arsenal player who was once tipped to be the new Thierry Henry has joined a second-tier side in China.
Yaya Sanogo, a 20-year-old French striker, signed for Arsenal in the summer of 2013 from his hometown club Auxerre.
In his four years at the Emirates, he only made 20 first-team appearances under Arsene Wenger.
The striker, now 31, has signed with Qingdao Red Lions, a team in China’s League One, the second tier of the country’s football.
Sonogo will start his new season next weekend in China.
He scored only one goal for the Gunners in a Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund, securing the club’s spot in the last 16.
He also netted four goals in an Emirates Cup game against Benfica in 2014.
At the time one person even claimed on X: “Wow Sanogo wtf this man is better than I’ve ever seen Henry play. Just nutmegged some German.”
Another said: “I remember when Thierry Henry joined us back then. I will still pick Sanogo now than Henry back then.”
And a third boldly added: “Sanogo will break Henry’s goalscoring record.”
Sonogo failed to impress at Arsenal and also performed poorly during his loan spells at Crystal Palace, Charlton and Ajax. He finally departed from north London in 2017 and joined Toulouse, where he stayed for three years before being let go.
He remained clubless for several months until he joined Huddersfield Town, but his stint in Yorkshire was short-lived.
After waiting for a new club for 20 months, Sanogo moved to the Armenian Premier League and signed for Urartu in January 2023. He scored two goals on his debut. However, he and the club agreed to part ways in January this year.