Arsenal: Yaya Sanogo Set Up For Greatest Cinderella Story

Arsenal’s most recent loanee Yaya Sanogo fell on hard times upon his arrival in England, but he has since set himself up for the greatest Cinderella story ever.

Everyone loves a nice Cinderella story. Some team or player that has the odds stacked against them, fails time and again only to seemingly disappear. Then, from literally nowhere, they spring up into the public’s eye and take the world by storm, in the process winning over ever human being with a heart.

Yaya Sanogo never seemed much like the Cinderella type. He came to Arsenal as a 20 year old – another young Frenchman to solve a problem at Arsenal. His lankiness gave hope that he could become the next Olivier Giroud, given some more pounds. After all, his scoring record in France was mighty impressive. For Auxerre B he compiled 15 goals in 31 appearances. He took that success to Auxerre, where he scored ten goals in 13 in his final season in France.

Then he came to Arsenal. The hype was surely there, but it was clear he was not ready. Sanogo’s clumsiness and inability to finish quickly became an issue, despite Wenger shoe-horning him into the squad any chance he got.

So he went out on loan to Crystal Palace, where he did not score. Then he went to Ajax, where he was, for lack of a better word, an embarrassment. Clips emerged of Sanogo missing chance after chance and coaches at the Dutch side remarked that Sanogo had ‘no qualities’.

Hard to get much worse than that.

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So he went on loan to Charlton Athletic at the behest of Arsenal team mate Francis Coquelin, who sprung into relevance after his loan with the Addicks.

After two substitute appearances, Sanogo did the deed that is making headlines. He scored an actual league hat trick. After having scored just the one elusive goal against Borussia Dortmund and a terribly random four goals against Benfica in preseason, Sanogo burst into relevance incredibly quickly.

What made the hat trick so impressive was the fact that, around the goals, he had an overall solid game. Six shots, all on target. Two chances created, tied for most on the team. 84% pass completion (stats via WhoScored). All of the numbers scream composure and quality (aside form the seven dispossessed).

But this is just the beginning. One hat trick does not make an Arsenal man. However, Yaya Sanogo has set himself up to be an Arsenal hero. Charlton Athletic will give the Frenchman opportunities and if he continues to take them, he will return to Arsenal this summer a very confident man.

From there, it could go one of two ways. At 23 years old, he is still young enough to give us hope but not young enough to be a prospect that is “still a few years off”. That being said, Sanogo could very well return, much matured from struggle and hardship, but also new-found success and confidence. He could provide a boost to a thin striking corps. In this way, he could become a cult sensation.