Yaya Sanogo to Charlton: Arsenal striker touched the ball just 30 times on six-month Ajax loan stay

Sanogo made three appearances for the Dutch outfit, along with another three for the reserves side

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Arsenal striker Yaya Sanogo has long been synonymous with manager Arsene Wenger’s refusal to spend big in recent years, often coming in for criticism simply because he is not Karim Benzema or Gonzalo Higuain.

The 23-year-old recently joined Championship strugglers Charlton Athletic on loan but one particular statistic from his six-month spell with Ajax stands out.

Sanogo made just three appearances for the Dutch outfit, along with another three for the reserves side and, across those matches, he touched the ball just 30 times.

And despite a hat-trick during a friendly match on his Ajax debut, the former Crystal Palace loanee never managed a competitive goal in the first-team under Frank de Boer.

Sanogo came to the attention of Wenger in 2013 after netting 11 goals in 21 appearances for Auxerre.

The former France under-21 international rose to prominence in the Club Omnisports des Ulis academy - the same youth system that produced Thierry Henry.

Sanogo will be hoping he can replicate the exploits of Francis Coquelin at the Valley, who used his stay in the second-tier to propel himself into the Gunners’ first-team.