Yaya Sanogo paid a surprise visit to Arsenal ahead of their Champions League fixture against Slavia Prague.

The Frenchman, who was a team-mate of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta from 2013 to 2016, was spotted at London Colney on Tuesday morning as the squad were put through their paces during training.

It is not clear as to why Sanogo was present at the Sobha Realty Training Centre, but he was able to catch up with Arteta prior to the Spaniard going to oversee preparations for the Champions League clash.

The session in question also saw the return of Sanogo’s compatriot William Saliba as he stepped up his rehabilitation from a back injury that sidelined him since the World Cup semi-final in July.

Reunited! Yaya Sanogo and Mikel Arteta

PA

Sanogo spent four years at Arsenal upon joining from Auxerre on a free transfer as he caught Arsene Wenger’s eye, at the time, after scoring seven goals in the same week.

“For all the problems I’d had, the phone wouldn’t ring for two years," Sanogo recalled when speaking to Masterclass media. "But after my seven goals in two games, Arsene Wenger calls me.

“I had a little Motorola, I promise you I had that phone. I was at home using my Macbook and I saw +44. I’m thinking ‘What is this number?’ So I don’t answer, but he called again.

“I say ‘Hello’. ‘Hello, it’s Arsene Wenger’. I thought it was a joke.

“I say ‘Yes?’ ‘It’s Yaya Sanogo?’ I say ‘Yes’. And I don’t speak.

“He tells me ‘Everybody is talking about you, seven goals in one week, not many players have done it’. And I told him ‘Yes, thank you, that’s nice’. But I didn’t know what to say.

“He told me ‘I see you are shy. I’m getting my plane and I want to meet you. I don’t know if you care, I know there’s a lot of clubs that want you, especially after the week you had. Would you be interested to meet me in Paris?’

“I said ‘Yes’ but I don’t realise. I think it’s amazing. He asked me when it’s OK to come to Paris and he hung up.

“I’m saying ‘Wait, wait, it was really Wenger?’ I had two years of problems. Six, seven games [later], Wenger calls me. I’ll sign right now.”

Ultimately, Sanogo was not able to forge a successful career at Arsenal as his only goal for the club came in a 2-0 Champions League group stage win over Borussia Dortmund in November 2014.

Though he is without a club since leaving Amazonas last year, the 33-year-old has not officially retired from professional football.