It’s finally happened. After a year long wait, Yaya Sanogo has finally found his way onto the Arsenal scoresheet after a 4 goal display against Benfica. Yes, it’s only a friendly, however his tantalising goal scoring antics left onlookers watering at the mouth. Following an impressive Emirates Cup, Sanogo carried on his good form into the Community Shield, providing a workmanlike performance and assisting Aaron Ramsey’s goal. “Sanogoal” (the striker’s self imposed nickname) has always possessed the talent necessary to thrive at Arsenal. Should the big Frenchman be given the chance to develop with the Gunners, he could eventually cement himself as a star.
For starters, Sanogo’s movement and penchant for popping up the right places is extremely developed for someone so young. While he may get stick for missing chances, people fail to realize that most strikers his age rarely seem to come across the amount of opportunities that he does. In a way, the ire he receives from Arsenal fans could actually be interpreted as a good sign. Sanogo has the raw skills necessary to be a natural poacher, with movement and intelligence in abundance. All it hinges on is him improving his finishing, something that is certainly achievable under the watchful eye of Arsene Wenger. He proved this during his goal scoring onslaught against Benfica. While 3 of the goals were relatively simple finishes, the third thoroughly displayed his potential. After latching onto a Kieran Gibbs cross, Sanogo managed to shrug off the surrounding defenders and clevely poke the ball over an onrushing Artur. The finish showed his balance, technique and goal scoring instincts, proving that he’s a lot more than the clumsy, often comical young prospect the Emirates crowd has grown accustomed to. If he can develop these traits, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with in the near future.
In addition, Sanogo is sneakily mobile. It may not look like it at first glance, however the Frenchman is able to move his lanky frame in a very effective manner. He proved during the FA Cup final that he can be a danger in the open field, and should improve even more once his dribbling becomes less sporadic. In the 2nd half of the Benfica match, Sanogo cleverly (and somewhat surprisingly) squeezed his way through multiple defenders, showing signs of what could come should he improve his coordination. Additionally, Sanogo uses his mobility to great effect when pressing and defending . While Arsenal’s first choice striker Olivier Giroud can be a bit static at times, Sanogo is constantly on the move. Whether it be his relentless pressurisation of opposing defences or eagerness to drop back into the midfield, Sanogo always looks to contribute when Arsenal don’t have the ball. This is all due to one thing – pace. It’s no coincidence that Arsenal look very dangerous when he’s playing up top.
Arguably Sanogo’s best attribute however, is something that isn’t so evident: His contribution to the build up. He may be unorthodox at times, but Sanogo’s holdup and linkup play is a lot more polished than many think. Against Benfica he always looked to find the wide outlets, linking up especially well with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Hector Bellerin and Joel Campbell. Sanogo has also managed to use his towering frame to great effect, acting almost as a human wrecking ball at times. The chaos he can cause opens up space for pacier, more skilful players to exploit, directly leading to quite a few quality Arsenal goals. A good example of such is during the FA Cup final. After Jack Wilshere fired the ball into Sanogo, he managed to control it and lay it off (somewhat awkwardly) to Olivier Giroud, who assisted Aaron Ramsey’s match winning goal. His movement and presence created all sorts of havoc, allowing the necessary time and space for Giroud to backheel the ball to Ramsey. Sanogo’s physicality opens up all sorts of opportunities for his teammates, and his skill level is a lot more developed than people give him credit for.
While Sanogo is still quite raw, there’s many reasons to believe he could be a star in the future. His movement and intelligence is very promising, and he almost always has a positive effect on surrounding players. In a way, he’s like the defensive midfield version of a striker. His style and physicality may not always be fun to watch, but he enables his more skilful teammates to excel. To put it bluntly, Sanogo has all the makings of a star. If he can reach his vast potential, the sky’s the limit for the towering Frenchman.
