Arsenal have announced that Yaya Sanogo and academy players Stefan O’Connor, Kristopher da Graca, and Kostas Pileas will leave the club this summer as free agents.

Sanogo, who didn’t make the Arsenal squad once this season, leaves the club after three years at the club since his move to North London from Ligue 2 side AJ Auxerre in 2013.

Unfulfilled potential

Sanogo was at first widely hoped to be the next big for Arsenal when the striker was brought in by Arsene Wenger for a free transfer, but like most players hyped by the media, Sanogo failed to make an impact at the club.

A stand out performance against Benfica in the Emirates Cup in 2014 where the former French U21 international scored four goals against the Portuguese giants remains the only memorable performance from the 24-year-old striker during his short Arsenal career.

Sanogo only scored one professional goal for Arsenal in the 20 appearances he made for the Premier League club, scoring for the Gunners against Borussia Dortmund in a 2-0 win at home in the Champions League.

However, Sanogo could be snapped up by another club during the upcoming transfer window. Serie A side Genoa have already been reportedly interested in the striker, as well as a handful of Ligue 1 and 2 sides in France who want to bring Sanogo back to his homeland.

Failing to make the grade

O’Connor made only one Arsenal appearance during his time at the club, coming on as a substitute against Galatasaray in a 4-1 win with 13 minutes to play in 2014. In the same game, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Gedion Zelalem also made their Arsenal debuts.

Da Grace and Pileas failed to make the Arsenal first team during their time in North London, and spent all of their playing time in the U23 Premier League and other Arsenal youth teams.

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Dylan Walsh
Student at the University of Brighton, 20-years-old, Twitter: @dylanwalsh_