AJ Auxerre

Young players with a nose for putting the ball in the back of the net are hot commodities. Their goal videos fill the Internet as fans watch and think about how these youngsters would fit in at their favorite club.

Yaya Sanogo is one of those young players. If you are not familiar with Auxerre's young goal-scoring phenom, it probably will not be long before you are.

Sanogo is one of France's brightest young talents. His ability on the pitch has gotten some of the biggest clubs in Europe watching with interest.

This interest will result in advances for the striker in this summer's transfer market. With his contract ending in June, Auxerre would be smart to try and extend Sanogo's contract in an effort to get some value out of losing such a talent.

The recently turned 20-year-old is the type of talent that can help get Auxerre back to Ligue 1. Losing him for nothing would be a big blow to a club that has suffered in recent years.

What makes Sanogo so impressive is his scoring record at all levels.

Sanogo broke onto the scene with the French U16 squad. During his time there, he scored 18 times in 18 games.

He fell short of that pace with the U17 national team when he scored nind goals in 16 games.

Despite the impressive record on the youth international stage, Auxerre continued to bring him along slowly. He lost most of the 2010 season after breaking his tibia.

He then missed a great deal of the 2011 season after tearing an abductor muscle. These injuries slowed down the progress of Sanogo, but he finally seems to be back to full fitness.

Sanogo has only appeared in six games this season in Ligue 2, but he has shown his quality. In their last two matches, Sanogo has struck for seven goals. His hat trick against Tours gave Auxerre a much-needed 3-2 victory.

Sanogo combines good height (6'3") with excellent pace, but his technical ability on the ball is what sets him apart.

He is calm and accurate in finishing his chances in front of goal. Whether it is beating a defender with his skill or making his way onto the end of a pass, Sanogo can unlock opposing defenses in a variety of ways. He is solid in the air and has excellent agility for his height.

As Sanogo matures and continues to learn how to make runs, and use his strengths inside a system, he can take himself to that next level. The team who secures his services from Auxerre will be getting themselves a diamond who is ready to shine.

As with many young French strikers of Sanogo's caliber, the Thierry Henry comparisons are inevitable. Sanogo is taller than Henry, but the build, pace and skill set he possesses will see him have to deal with the comparisons.
 
The usual suspects of Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham, among others, will all be linked, but RMCsport.fr is reporting a potential move to Lille this summer. If any club has an advantage, it may be Arsenal, as Arsene Wenger has dealt with Auxerre on many occasions (Sagna, Diaby).

This summer will see where Sanogo will continue to improve his tremendous skills. Whoever lands him will have a player to keep an eye on for the foreseeable future.

As the Ligue 1 season comes to a close, we will be seeing the end of what has been an incredible run. AJ Auxerre’s streak of 32 consecutive years in Ligue 1 will come to an end against champions-in-waiting Montpellier. While this has gone relatively unnoticed outside of the French borders, it is a sad ending for a fairy-tale run.

Auxerre was founded in 1905 by Father Ernest Abbe Deschamps and began playing in the Catholic league. For the next 75 years, Auxerre made the slow climb from local Sunday league side to promotion to the French first division. Overseeing their meteoric rise for 44 years was Guy Roux. Roux built the club to a contender despite the tightest of budgets.

At the heart of their success was the reliance on their youth academy.

The academy has produced some of France’s favorite sons. Laurent Blanc, Eric Cantona, Djibril Cisse and Philippe Mexes are all products of the Auxerre youth system. Coupled with some smart transfer signings, Auxerre not only reached the mountain, they scaled it.

Auxerre’s 32 years in Ligue 1 produced 4 Coupe de France titles, 2 Intertoto Cup winners and a Ligue 1 title in 1996.
 
Only two seasons ago, they finished 2nd to Marseille and qualified for the Champions League.

Last season, injuries took their toll and they fell to a mid-table finish.

Last summer, longtime coach Jean Fernandez left for Nancy and key players like Benoit Pedretti and Ireneusz Jelen found new addresses. With very little budget for reinforcements and enduring a dry spell from the youth ranks, Auxerre’s 32-year-old dream began to unravel.

By the end of March, the writing was on the wall.

AJA was in severe trouble, and it would take a magical run to lift them from the depths of relegation. AJA responded with fight climbing out of relegation just a few weeks back only to see a tough end of schedule run push them back in down.

When the whistle sounded last Sunday in a 3-0 loss to Marseille, their fate had been sealed.

The clock has struck midnight on Cinderella and their marvelous run has come to an end.

Their prospects for a return look bleak as the buzzards will circle for players like Alain Traore, Delvin N’Dinga and Dennis Oliech. Those who are not highly sought after will be put up for auction in an effort to meet the budget constraints of a Ligue 2 side with little sponsorship and a small area of support.

The club that my childhood heroes Joel Bats and Bruno Martini once called home has come down from the mountain, but what a memorable climb it was.