# Yaya Sanogo
**Yaya Sanogo** (born 1993 in Massy, France) is a French center-forward who came through the [AJ Auxerre](https://www.edgepedia.org/aj-auxerre) academy, played for Arsenal between 2013 and 2017, and was a member of the France squad that won the 2013 [FIFA U-20 World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-u-20-world-cup) in Turkey.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.fr/yaya-sanogo/profil/spieler/127194) • [2](https://www.arsenal.com/news/yaya-sanogo-joins-crystal-palace-on-loan-aXQD42Y6AGBZ) A tall, physical striker, he has also played for Toulouse, Huddersfield Town, FC Urartu, Qingdao Red Lions, and Amazonas FC, and has been without a club since 22 July 2025.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.fr/yaya-sanogo/profil/spieler/127194)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1993, Massy, France; French and Ivorian nationality, right-footed[1](https://www.transfermarkt.fr/yaya-sanogo/profil/spieler/127194) |
| Position | Centre-forward; height listed as 1.94 m by Transfermarkt and 191 cm by the French Football Federation[1](https://www.transfermarkt.fr/yaya-sanogo/profil/spieler/127194) • [3](https://www.fff.fr/equipe-nationale/joueur/8855-sanogo-yaya/fiche.html) |
| Arsenal | Signed from Auxerre in July 2013; first competitive goal in a 2-0 Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund on 26 November 2014[2](https://www.arsenal.com/news/yaya-sanogo-joins-crystal-palace-on-loan-aXQD42Y6AGBZ) • [4](https://www.arsenal.com/men/yaya-sanogo-aJnT54C4stMw) |
| International honors | FIFA U-20 World Cup 2013 with France, finishing as his side's top scorer in the tournament[2](https://www.arsenal.com/news/yaya-sanogo-joins-crystal-palace-on-loan-aXQD42Y6AGBZ) |
| France youth record | U20: 10 matches, 5 goals; U21 (Espoirs): 8 matches, 5 goals[3](https://www.fff.fr/equipe-nationale/joueur/8855-sanogo-yaya/fiche.html) |
| Club honors | FA Cup 2013/14 and 2016/17 and Community Shield 2014/15 with Arsenal; Armenian Cup 2022/23 with Urartu[5](https://www.fotmob.com/players/192921) |
| Most appearances | Toulouse, 72 matches and 16 goals across three seasons (2017-2020)[6](https://sportbaseline.com/player/yaya-sanogo-127194) |
## Youth career and Auxerre
Sanogo grew up in the Paris region and moved through a series of youth clubs before settling at CO Les Ulis, the academy that also produced [Thierry Henry](https://www.edgepedia.org/thierry-henry), where five-a-side practice matches were the norm.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.fr/yaya-sanogo/profil/spieler/127194) • [7](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/news/player-profile-who-is-arsenal-striker-yaya-sanogo-9132065.html) He joined AJ Auxerre in 2006 and made his first-team debut one day before his 17th birthday, coming on as an extra-time substitute in a cup game against Sedan on 26 January 2010; his [Ligue 1](https://www.edgepedia.org/ligue-1) debut followed in a 1-2 defeat to Lyon on 5 May 2010.[8](https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/ITT/uefaorg/General/01/53/55/89/1535589_DOWNLOAD.pdf)
**Injury.** In 2010, while playing for the Auxerre reserves, he suffered a double leg-break, and he was subsequently dogged by injuries, never completing a full season of regular football at Auxerre.[7](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/news/player-profile-who-is-arsenal-striker-yaya-sanogo-9132065.html) Despite the disruption, his last injury-hit season there produced ten goals in 13 games, and he had scored 34 times in 56 games for France's various youth teams by early 2014.[7](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/news/player-profile-who-is-arsenal-striker-yaya-sanogo-9132065.html)
## Arsenal
[Arsène Wenger](https://www.edgepedia.org/arsene-wenger) brought Sanogo to Arsenal in the summer of 2013 after he had netted 11 goals in 21 appearances for Auxerre, and he made his debut away at Fulham soon after.[4](https://www.arsenal.com/men/yaya-sanogo-aJnT54C4stMw) • [9](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/yaya-sanogo-to-charlton-arsenal-striker-touched-the-ball-just-30-times-on-sixmonth-ajax-loan-stay-a6851071.html) His first competitive goal for the club came against [Borussia Dortmund](https://www.edgepedia.org/borussia-dortmund) on 26 November 2014, sliding home from close range after combining with [Santi Cazorla](https://www.edgepedia.org/santi-cazorla) in a 2-0 Champions League victory.[4](https://www.arsenal.com/men/yaya-sanogo-aJnT54C4stMw) • [2](https://www.arsenal.com/news/yaya-sanogo-joins-crystal-palace-on-loan-aXQD42Y6AGBZ) In his first season he made 14 appearances, including four outings in the club's victorious FA Cup run.[2](https://www.arsenal.com/news/yaya-sanogo-joins-crystal-palace-on-loan-aXQD42Y6AGBZ)
**Loan spells.** Arsenal loaned him out repeatedly to gain first-team experience. In January 2015 he joined Crystal Palace, scored in just his second match for the club, a 3-2 [FA Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fa-cup) win at Southampton, and featured 11 times as Palace finished in the top half.[4](https://www.arsenal.com/men/yaya-sanogo-aJnT54C4stMw) In July 2015 he went on loan to Ajax; Arsenal's own profile records four appearances for the Dutch side before he returned at the start of 2016, while a contemporary Independent report counted three first-team appearances plus three for the reserves, across which he touched the ball just 30 times and never scored a competitive goal under [Frank de Boer](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-de-boer).[4](https://www.arsenal.com/men/yaya-sanogo-aJnT54C4stMw) • [9](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/yaya-sanogo-to-charlton-arsenal-striker-touched-the-ball-just-30-times-on-sixmonth-ajax-loan-stay-a6851071.html) In February 2016 he joined Championship side Charlton Athletic, scored a hat-trick on his first start in a 4-3 home defeat to Reading, and played eight times in total, though Charlton were relegated to League One.[4](https://www.arsenal.com/men/yaya-sanogo-aJnT54C4stMw)
## Toulouse and later career
Sanogo left Arsenal for good in July 2017, signing for [Toulouse FC](https://www.edgepedia.org/toulouse-fc) on a free transfer on a contract running to June 2020.[10](https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/Actualites/Transferts-yaya-sanogo-a-toulouse-c-est-fait/816605) Across three seasons he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals, his most productive club by playing time.[6](https://sportbaseline.com/player/yaya-sanogo-127194) After leaving Toulouse in 2020 he had a short spell at Huddersfield Town from February 2021, with nine matches and no goals.[6](https://sportbaseline.com/player/yaya-sanogo-127194)
His career then moved through a series of clubs abroad. He signed for [FC Urartu](https://www.edgepedia.org/fc-urartu) in Armenia in January 2023, winning the Armenian Cup in 2022/23, then joined Qingdao Red Lions in China in February 2024, where he scored 6 goals in 20 matches across two competitions.[5](https://www.fotmob.com/players/192921) • [6](https://sportbaseline.com/player/yaya-sanogo-127194) In April 2025 he joined Amazonas FC in Brazil, and he became a free agent on 22 July 2025.[11](https://www.365scores.com/football/player/yaya-sanogo-1136) • [1](https://www.transfermarkt.fr/yaya-sanogo/profil/spieler/127194)
## International career
Sanogo represented France at every youth level from under-16 to under-21.[4](https://www.arsenal.com/men/yaya-sanogo-aJnT54C4stMw) At the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey he was a key member of the winning side and finished the tournament as France's top scorer.[2](https://www.arsenal.com/news/yaya-sanogo-joins-crystal-palace-on-loan-aXQD42Y6AGBZ) The French Football Federation's records show 5 goals in 10 U-20 matches, including goals against Ghana, Uzbekistan, Turkey, the United States, and Greece during the tournament, and 5 goals in 8 under-21 (Espoirs) matches, including two against England in a 3-2 friendly in November 2014.[3](https://www.fff.fr/equipe-nationale/joueur/8855-sanogo-yaya/fiche.html) He never made a senior France appearance.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.fr/yaya-sanogo/profil/spieler/127194)
## Playing style
Contemporary profiles described Sanogo as an archetypal physical target man, standing 6 foot 3 with a hulking physique, but with a subtler game: an excellent first touch, technical skills honed at Les Ulis, and the ability either to run onto balls over the top or drop deep to link play.[7](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/news/player-profile-who-is-arsenal-striker-yaya-sanogo-9132065.html) The recurring qualification was his fitness. After the 2010 double leg-break he was repeatedly sidelined, with injury absences recorded at nearly every club, including 63 games missed in 2016 and 51 in 2013.[7](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/news/player-profile-who-is-arsenal-striker-yaya-sanogo-9132065.html) • [6](https://sportbaseline.com/player/yaya-sanogo-127194)
## References
1. [Yaya Sanogo - Profil du joueur, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.fr/yaya-sanogo/profil/spieler/127194)
2. [Yaya Sanogo joins Crystal Palace on loan, Arsenal.com](https://www.arsenal.com/news/yaya-sanogo-joins-crystal-palace-on-loan-aXQD42Y6AGBZ)
3. [Yaya SANOGO, Fiche joueur, Fédération Française de Football](https://www.fff.fr/equipe-nationale/joueur/8855-sanogo-yaya/fiche.html)
4. [Yaya Sanogo, Arsenal FC Official Website](https://www.arsenal.com/men/yaya-sanogo-aJnT54C4stMw)
5. [Yaya Sanogo - stats, career and market value, FotMob](https://www.fotmob.com/players/192921)
6. [Yaya Sanogo - Profile, Stats, Transfers, SportBaseline](https://sportbaseline.com/player/yaya-sanogo-127194)
7. [Player profile: who is Arsenal striker Yaya Sanogo?, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/news/player-profile-who-is-arsenal-striker-yaya-sanogo-9132065.html)
8. [2010/11 UEFA Champions League group stage statistics handbook, UEFA](https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/ITT/uefaorg/General/01/53/55/89/1535589_DOWNLOAD.pdf)
9. [Yaya Sanogo to Charlton: Arsenal striker touched the ball just 30 times on six-month Ajax loan stay, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/yaya-sanogo-to-charlton-arsenal-striker-touched-the-ball-just-30-times-on-sixmonth-ajax-loan-stay-a6851071.html)
10. [Transferts : Yaya Sanogo à Toulouse, c'est fait, L'Équipe](https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/Actualites/Transferts-yaya-sanogo-a-toulouse-c-est-fait/816605)
11. [Yaya Sanogo (Free Agent) - Bio, stats and news, 365Scores](https://www.365scores.com/football/player/yaya-sanogo-1136)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of continental Europe › French footballers born before 1995 › Surnames Le to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license