When Charlton Athletic lived to regret Arsenal transfer agreement | OneFootball

The Addicks signed a striker on loan from the Gunners in February 2016.

Charlton Athletic lived to regret signing French striker Yaya Sanogo from Arsenal during the 2015/16 season.

The Addicks were 23rd in the Championship when they signed Sanogo on loan in February 2016, with the recently re-appointed Jose Riga looking to strengthen his forward options in attempt to steer the club clear of relegation to League One for the second time in his managerial career.

Charlton were in the relegation zone by just one point at the time of the Frenchman's arrival, and they had ended an 11-game winless run with a 4-1 victory away at Rotherham United a couple of days earlier, so there was hope at The Valley that the striker would be able to fire the club to safety in the second tier.

Sanogo had spent the first half of the 2015/16 season on loan at Dutch giants Ajax, and he had spent the previous campaign playing in the Premier League for Arsenal and Crystal Palace, but he was unable to live up to expectations in the Championship with Charlton.

Yaya Sanogo failed to impress at Charlton

Sanogo made an uneventful Charlton debut from the bench during the latter stages of a 0-0 draw against Cardiff City, before he was booked during his second appearance for the club in an away defeat at Preston North End.

The 23-year-old made his first start for the Addicks against Reading at The Valley a few days later, and marked the occasion with a hat-trick. Those goals were realistically the only highlights of Sanogo's spell south of the river, and funnily enough, they were part of a losing cause as the visitors ran out 4-3 winners.

The 6ft 3in forward failed to score in any of his remaining five outings for Charlton, and he was unable to prevent the Addicks being relegated to League One to bring their four-season stay in the second tier to an end.

He never lived up to the hype around the club following his arrival from Arsenal, which had been more than justified considering he had featured in the Premier League, Europa League and Champions League qualifiers in the season-and-a-half prior.

Arguably the most notable talking point of Sanogo's loan spell at Charlton came in stoppage time during the Addicks' 0-0 draw at home against MK Dons in March 2016.

With Jose Riga's side set to pick up only a point in what was really a must-win game in the relegation battle, Sanogo was shown a straight red card for elbowing Antony Kay off the ball.

MK Dons boss Karl Robinson reacted furiously to the sending off, calling for Sanogo to be banned for Charlton's remaining 10 Championship fixtures, as per The Guardian.

"It was disgusting. He should be banned for the rest of the season," Robinson said.

"He's clearly off the ball, had a go and then a second one.

"I was expecting to see the police in the tunnel at full-time.

"It's not acceptable. He could have broken his jaw."

The dismissal meant that Sanogo missed three important matches through suspension, and pretty much summed up the mood around the club for the duration of his time there.

A player who Charlton supporters had hoped would have the ability to help preserve their Championship status ultimately proved to be an underwhelming disappointment in a forgettable season for the Addicks.