January Loan Move for Yaya Sanogo Will Benefit Striker, Arsenal and France

Captain Yaya Sanogo grabbed two goals for the France U-21 team as they beat their English counterparts 3-2 in Brittany. In truth, neither goal was spectacular: both were fairly scruffy tap-ins. However, they were what might be termed "striker's goals." It might come as a surprise to those who’ve seen him flounder in the first team, but at this level Sanogo is remarkably prolific.

Sanogo has always racked up goals in international youth football. He scored 18 goals in 18 appearances for the French U-16s. Upon graduating to the U-19s in 2010, he made headlines by netting a spectacular overhead kick against Brazil.

It was that promise, combined with a return of nine goals in nine league games in his final season with Auxerre, that prompted Arsene Wenger to swoop for the young striker.

In preseason, Wenger eulogised about the young striker’s potential to Arsenal.com:

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Sanogo was injured for basically two years before he came to us. If you look at his goal scoring record before he got injured, it is quite frightening. For a while when he came back last season, he could not score. You could see when he scored the first goal [against Benfica in preseason], suddenly they came raining. He has a big future here, or course, he is 21. He has something of Adebayor. He is strong, a strong body, similar strengths [to Adebayor], but as well technical skill.

"

However, 18 months into his Gunners career, Sanogo has still yet to score in a competitive match for Arsenal. He was granted starts in the Premier League against Crystal Palace and Leicester, but he failed to convince. 

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In fact, his performance at Leicester was so underwhelming that Wenger was forced to spend £16 million to recruit Danny Welbeck as cover for Olivier Giroud. Welbeck’s presence is a problem for Sanogo: He is only a couple of years older, yet significantly further ahead in his development. With Giroud now back in full training, and Alexis Sanchez thriving in a central role, the chances of Sanogo getting much first-team football at Arsenal seem slim.

That’s why he must move on loan in January. For all his promise, there are still plenty of rough edges to be smoothed out of Sanogo’s game. Regular football is the obvious way to accelerate his development, and that will require him to temporarily leave the club.

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Loan moves have worked for Arsenal before. Alex Song flourished during a brief spell at Charlton, and Jack Wilshere toughened up during six months with Owen Coyle’s Bolton. If Sanogo can go somewhere where is regularly exposed to Premier League football, he will return a better player.

Sanogo will be in something of a hurry to make an impact: As a Frenchman, he'll undoubtedly have one eye on EURO 2016. France are not blessed with too many pure No. 9s. It might seem outrageously ambitious, but he'll want to give himself every chance of making the senior squad for a tournament hosted by his home country.

Sanogo’s success at youth level demonstrates significant potential. It’s now about honing his craft so it can be applied to elite senior competitions. If that happens, then Arsenal—and eventually France—will both be grateful beneficiaries. 

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and will be following the club from a London base throughout the 2014/15 season. Follow him on Twitter here.