YAYA SANOGO

Who is he? Where does he play?

With Arsene Wenger's Arsenal empire crumbling down around him whilst he faces constant criticism about a transfer policy that relies on unproven youngsters from mainland Europe while all the other clubs go around snaffling up all the proven, experienced quality, he is planning on fixing things by going in for another unproven youngster.

His name is Yaya Sanogo, he is 20 and he plays in Ligue 2 for Auxerre as a striker. 

Sounds like a Wenger-type of player then?

He certainly does. As they face their eighth consecutive year without a trophy, what better way than to get the fans, disillusioned by the sales of Robin Van Persie, Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas and co. back onside than to go in for an infant striker who has not played at any higher level than the France under-21s? Well, lambast Wenger all you want, the fact is he's a fan of the youthful striker.

Any reason why? Or is he just becoming a parody of himself?

He's a constant goal-scorer. 18 goals in 18 games for the French under-16s, 9 goals in 16 games for the under 17s and, after battling with a tibia injury in 2011, he has bagged 8 goals in fourteen games this season for Auxerre as they look to get back to Ligue 1. That included a goal-crazy February in which he scored 7 goals in a week, putting four past Laval then smashing a hat-trick, seven days later, against Tours.

Just a goal-scoring machine then?

He has an impressive physique, standing at an imposing 6ft 3, and he can either beat a man with his electrifying pace, or latch onto the end of a pass with his agility and physical strength. He is solid in the air and possesses a fine technical ability that allows him to finish strongly and find a variety of ways to unlock defences. 

In the fine words of the Bleacher Report they say: 
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.

In their report, they compare him to Theirry Henry, and have a neat little video of Sanogo scoring and doing a lot of impressive stuff. It can be read here;

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1522860-auxerre-striking-sensation-yaya-sanogo-is-turning-heads-around-europe

Anything else to add?

Well, Sanogo is still a work in progress standing at just 20 and you can see why Wenger, who has previously plucked Abou Diaby and Bacary Sagna from Auxerre, rates him as a future prospect. However, he will be rivaled for his signature by the likes of Lyon and Lille who have also registered an interest in the Ivorian-born forward 

SEBASTIAN RODE

Who is he? Where does he play?

Ich bien ein das YoungStarrSpotter! We're starting this one off with a douse of amateur German  as we head off to Eintracht Frankfurt, with nowhere more-German sounding than that place, to find 22 year old defensive midfielder Rode.

Quit with the language lesson, get on with it...

I will do, since moving from Kickers Offenbach in 2010, Rode has made 55 appearances for the Eagles, emerging as yet another fantastic young German talent *sigh* making his way in the Bundesliga. Like Toni Kroos, Mario Gotze, Marco Reus et al. he has recently broken into the German under-21 squad and could be joining those players on the club scene as Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich have both been reportedly interested in his services.

German product stays in Germany... boring...

Ah well, there could be a twist in the story as the Sun have claimed Arsene Wenger is looking to spend some of his gigantic profits on the well-rounded midfielder who can maraud forward just as comfortably as he can patrol the deep areas of midfield. To bring the midfielder to Arsenal, Wenger is believed to be willing to spend £7.5 million and with Rode's contract due to expire next summer, Frankfurt are resigned to selling their prodigy. Rode has also previously rolled out the seemingly popular quote of "jumping at the chance to play in the Premier League" which may also run in Arsenal's favor.

So what can he offer Arsenal?

Intelligent passing and clever runs forward, which may sound like another Mikel Arteta or Santi Cazorla with whom Wenger has already swelled his technique-heavy midfield, but he has an impressive positional sense and his 22 appearances in the Bundesliga this term have yielded an average of 3 tackles and 2.3 interceptions per game. As well as protecting the back four alongside club captain Permin Schwegler, he can also launch attacks with an admirable passing completion rate of 84%. His energy and dynamism in bursting forward can link the midfield and attack too, which is increasingly important in the modern game.

£7 million is beginning to feel a little cheap...

It is actually, he has been an ever-present in Frankfurt's league campaign so far and has consistently produced impressive performances as a ball-winner who, with a small frame of 5ft 10, can spring away from the attentions of opposing midfielders to burst into advanced positions and supply attackers. His job is primarily based on keeping the midfield in shape, as can be seen in the video below.