Arsenal’s proposed capture of Yaya Sanogo is not yet complete, but the fact that the club are so close to securing a deal for the 20-year-old striker could have significant ramifications for a forward of the same age.
Once the deal goes through it is expected that Sanogo will automatically become a member of the first-team squad, even if he may feature more heavily for the U21s during his initial months at the club. The capture of the Auxerre striker is likely to be welcomed by most, but will not exactly boost the confidence of Benik Afobe, who is currently recovering from yet another serious knee injury.
There was a time, not too long ago, when it seemed as if Afobe was destined for the first-team at Arsenal. Having demonstrated his prolific form for the U16s and U18s, as well as shining for England at youth level, the Hale End product was considered one of Arsenal’s best prospects and underlined his potential during a loan spell at Huddersfield Town, when, aged just 17, he caught the eye under the tutelage of Lee Clark.
He featured for Arsenal’s senior side during the following pre-season, but would miss the vast majority of the 2011/12 campaign due to an injury aggravated whilst playing for the Reserves against Manchester United in the first game of the season. Having played a minimal role in Reading’s promotion to the Premier League late last season, he was expected to push on this time around, but struggled during a spell with Bolton Wanderers before showing glimpses of promise with Millwall.
Then, disaster struck and Afobe is likely to miss the beginning of the forthcoming campaign, and, possibly far longer owing to yet another injury. When he returns to full fitness he could well find Sanogo, just one month his senior, ahead of him in the pecking order at the club, which could eventually lead to the end of his dream of making the grade at Emirates Stadium, especially with younger strikers Chuba Akpom and Zak Ansah also striving to make the breakthrough.
Afobe is a determined character, however, and the England U21 international will certainly not relinquish his opportunity without a fight.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird
Lets not forget Joel Campbell. Why did we sign him again?
In the hope that we can one day reintroduce the Campbell WHL song again.
“Double, double, double, Joel Campbell has won the double…”
Tricky Dick Law had to come back from his Caribbean vacation with -something-.
Yeah beniks journey with us seems all but over. I think we’ll see more of Joel campbell seeing as he has impressed at betis. So much so they would like him for another season.
It makes you wonder how the club have really invested in good but average strikers who never make the desired impact.
Afobe
Campbell
Giroud
Now sanogo (jury)
Giroud just does not fit into this list at all. He was bought after proving himself at a team who won the top French league… he’s not some young talent brought in as a teenager
He wouldn’t belong there if Fred intended to list average young talents brought in as teenagers, just like he wouldn’t belong there if he was listing strikers of African origins either; but Fred is too sexy for that and has instead opted to compile a list of average strikers – as clearly written. See? So don’t choke while trying to answer me if you will !
@TW
Giroud at striker is like my girlfriend…….. I don’t have a girlfriend.
Was is too hard to combine the investment in sanogo/giroud/campbell and get us one falcaoesque striker?
We never do this and why? Buy 1 already real deal cf? At arsenal? Never?
Buy 3 average strikers and experiment to see who comes out on top then pap. Season over! And we go through it all over again in the summer bizness and carry it into next season. So on and so forth.
Sick!
You don’t have a girlfriend? *shocked*
A) He cost basically nothing.
B) He’s a good young player.
C) We were hoping he would be given a work permit so he could actually come and play for us.
We do not have a single good striker at the club, not an established one and not any talented youngster.
Yes. All hope is lost. And it’s not even like there’s a transfer window coming up for us to sign any.
may god bless you
…..with some brains and eyes
or a cracker from five yards away to the nose…
That’s a bold but grossly inaccurate statement. We have several talented youngsters, Campbell being one. Akpom being another. The kid had brilliant season.
Not forgetting Chuks Aneke who had a great spell at Crewe and England youth
Why your not very HP at all are you.?
We have great strikers, brilliant ones, dodgy ones and oh, no good ones…
Do we need good ones?
what does HP mean, anyway??
No idea, but it sounds a bit saucy…….
happy?
We do have several good strikers at the club actually. Olivier Giroud came into the Premier League and performed admirably – I have every confidence he will do even better next season. We also have Lukas Podolski, who was apparently suffering from an injury for most of the season and despite that still demonstrated his left foot hammer and was crucial to getting us through the last few games for a champions league place. And we also have our ever-improving Walcott, who I probably believe plays better in the RW position but has still proved himself to be a fantastic… Read more »
We have the greatest striker that ever lived…
Ohh bloody hell don’t tell me he’s coming back as well! Already faced with the horror that is the return of Denilson and Santos. That might just be too much to take lol!
Shame about Afobe anyway, one of those ones that looked really promising 4 years or so back, then sort of got a little less so each season and with these injuries as well, had the feeling already that he’s hanging on by his fingernails just about in regards to staying with Arsenal.. definately not looking good if this happens.
lol, are we talking about TH12 or NB52?
Please go and ‘support’ someone else. Cheers
HP
The whole time I assumed Chuba Akpom was 19 or 20yo while he was banging them in for the U21’s. Now I hear he’s only 17!?
He’s a beast. Can’t wait to see what the future holds for him, hopefully with the gooners!
i desparately wish Afobe can get over his injury plague like Kierran did and allowed some sort of run with the first team. We have so many of these unfulfilled youngsters we should be featuring on Britains biggest hoarder. Myiachi, Frimpong, Campbell, and countless others playing in Spain, no wonder this time around, a lot of them preferred to go ply their trade elsewhere than wishing and praying for a break into the first team. I hope Sanogo will not be another flash in the pan…
i desperately wish Afobe can get over his injury plague like Kierran did and allowed some sort of run with the first team. We have so many of these unfulfilled youngsters we should be featuring on Britain’s biggest hoarder. Myiachi, Frimpong, Campbell, and countless others playing in Spain, no wonder this time around, a lot of them preferred to go ply their trade elsewhere than wishing and praying for a break into the first team. I hope Sanogo will not be another flash in the pan…
i desperately wish Afobe can get over his injury plague like Kierran did and allowed some sort of run with the first team. We have so many of these unfulfilled youngsters we should be featuring on Britain’s biggest hoarder. Myiachi, Frimpong, Campbell, and countless others playing in Spain, no wonder this time around, a lot of them preferred to go ply their trade elsewhere than wishing and praying for a break into the first team. I hope Sanogo will not be another flash in the pan…
On the subject of possible striker targets for the transfer season, may I suggest this lad?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMzuck1BxMk
On the subject of Sanogo and Afobe, I think it’s only healthy the two youngsters battle it out among themselves for a chance to break into the first team.
He’s decent. He’s better…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
You bastard.
😀
Amazing speed and good technique but Pierre is Adebarndoor Part 2 in waiting.
Wore a £60,000 pair of boots for warm up before a match, no thanks. Big time Charlie.
Where did you get £60,000 from? Hundreds of news articles all state the boots cost £2,500.
It seems very much the case that as an Academy player you can have one serious injury and still possibly make it, but if you get a second one, then it’s effectively game over.
I assume people follow futbol for the sake of following not supporting and understanding. Afobe + Sanogo + Campbell = Great future ahead. In future the 2 will start and one will be on the bench and we can rotate the team perfectly. I’d like to see Wellington Silva back in Arsenal as the under study to Ox and Podolski and Ryo fighting it out with Theo. Where we need to focus on is our DM as Arteta has failed in this position. Why I say this? it is difficult for a playmaker to be played as a DM late… Read more »
Having that mentality is why we haven’t won anything in years. You need more than just potential. Don’t get me wrong, I still think we should be looking at youth and looking to create our own players but we can’t make the whole team that way. This is the summer where we need established quality.
That’s actually wrong. The reason we won nothing is because of a few young “gems” that decided they’d be better off elsewhere – such as Nasri, Cesc home boy, RVP, Flamini…Hleb etc. Remember these guys?
Kharadonha is right in everything he said except the strange bit that Arteta failed.
Afobe has 7 goals in 56 apps across league one and championship. For a striker, thats pretty poor. In the championship he’s not looked at the right level. I hope he proves me wrong but I have a feeling he’ll never be good enough for Arsenal. Wellington Silva has been a train wreck in Spain, his attitude has been poor and he couldn’t get on the pitch for Levante. He’s now not even established in the starting XI for a segunda team. Supposed to have a lot of talent but he’s 20 now and he is very pressed for time… Read more »
Look, we sign someone promising and then it’s up to them what happens next. Take Jay Simpson. He looked useful at times, but even at Hull he’s having a difficult time. The same goes for Joel Campbell. He’s hardly lit up the fans at Betis, has he? Being useful isn’t good enough when we want players of the quality of Higuain and Falcao. If AFC truly wants to compete at the very highest level then it’s fine that we buy these players. But unless they are as special as a Jack or a Cesc then they’re never going to progress… Read more »
Sign him and loan him back til Christmas at least. If Adobe heals give him a few sub appearances and Carling cup starts in the meantime. Would be nice to sign one established guy as well for cover/competition.
I usually don’t care about transfer rumours, but the Cesc to Utd one makes me feel physically sick.
http://www.givemesport.com/348031-manchester-united-in-talks-to-sign-cesc-fabregas?tg=/
Don’t believe that for one second. I know loyalty is a dying trait but Cesc is the only one helping me cling on to my small bit of hope that not all footballers are cold-hearted.
Cesc is a phantom. He died times ago. Why you seeing things?
I think you’ve misspelled ‘phenomenon’.
Yes – to me, a phenomenon in phantasmagoric space, no less 🙂
I know what you mean but its utter BS.
I take comfort in the fact that:
1. He’s a Gooner/former captain
2. Loves Arsene/Arsenal
3. We love him
3. We have first option
4. Barce still owe us money
5. He recently bought a new place in London
6. His family love London (+ some still live here I think)
7. He’s sponsered by Puma and as of next year so will we.
The Media’s reasons:
1. He’s ‘friends’ with RVP (*spits)
I reckon someone from mancs was spotted over there looking at Thiago to be honest.
Fabregas was best friends with Rosicky
fabregas was besties with senderos actually. although cesc, rosicky and hleb did have a bet going to see who could score the most from midfield (i think that was 08-09?). i’m pretty sure cesc also is friends with rvpoop, but then i also loved him just a year ago… but that love is now like the snows of yesteryear, gone from this earth.
If i am to be honest, Afobe, Akpom and Ansah wont make it because theyre not good enough. Sanogo on the other hand looks like a player, reminds me a lot of Adebayor, its just his work rate that frustrates me, hopefully we’ll sort that out
Afobe and Ansah won’t. Akpom will.
The thing with signing players overseas is that they have the experience of playing in two leagues. When we have an Academy player like Afobe, it’s best for him to get more game time elsewhere & I really hope he does. But on paper Sanogo > Afobe, sadly.
[…] If we sign Sanogo will Afobe have to go go? […]
He doesn’t appear confident, doesn’t have a presence. Watched him on loan at Reading last season and he didn’t stand out really.
The way Joel Campbell took most of his goals for Costa Rica , the way he strikes a ball and with quick feet and pace to burn ive always fetl hes got all the assets to develop into a top, top player under Arsene. Afobe also; always seemed an exciting prospect!
its hard to fill the boots of henry. thats the gooner problem….
Can anyone explain why we have so many “Unfortunate injuries” hampering so many youth players careers? Is it an Arsenal-specific problem or what?
[…] 来源：[Arseblog News] […]
pls sack the coach bcos he will give us a broking heart,