Arsenala s Yaya Sanogo has joined Crystal Palace on a loan deal till the end of the season.
Even before the January transfer window opened, there were rumours that Sanogo would be loaned out in an effort to give him some playing time. It was French side Bordeaux that were the front runners as the transfer window opened. However, Arsene Wenger did not sanction the deal despite the Ligue 1 side setting a deadline as he wanted the young Frenchman to stay in the Premier League.
With Sanogoa s departure, it will be yet another forward that will leave on loan this season, following Lukas Podolski, though it was for completely varying reasons. Podolski doesna t seem to have a future at Arsenal anymore while Sanogo is highly favoured by Arsene Wenger.
This could well mean that Joel Campbell will stay with Arsenal for the rest of the season, as it was reported that he was looking for a loan move himself, to get some game time, something that he has not had this season. It would be impossible to see Arsene letting go another a 3rd forward in the same transfer window, especially when the likes of Welbeck and Walcott are not exactly the fittest players around.
However, one has to wonder if there will be a replacement in the pipeline as rumours of Cavani to Arsenal have been loud towards the buildup to January, even though they seem to have died down completely now.
Yaya Sanogo has not had the greatest time at Arsenal, starting with a 6 month injury that he suffered soon after he signed for Arsenal. However, he did play in some important games for the club, notably starting against Bayern Munich in the Champions League as well as playing against Liverpool and Everton in the FA Cup. In fact, Arsene Wenger preferred to send him on against Hull in the final over the more experienced and lethal Lukas Podolski, despite not having scored a single goal for the club until then.
That statistic has been changed this season, when he finally scored his first goal for Arsenal, in the Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund. He only played 6 times this season, and with strong competition in the front line, this loan deal will give him a good experience.