Lauren discusses life at Highbury

After watching his manager being upended at training, the Cameroon international helped the Gunners to glory

You spent seven years with Arsenal, from 2000- 07, winning two league titles. What made that team so special?

We managed to combine quality and ability with ambition and commitment, so everyone played at their very best. Dennis Bergkamp, Freddie Ljungberg, Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires, Thierry Henry, Jens Lehmann – they were all players at the top of their game. Even I was playing at my best! We had some big players, but Arsene Wenger was the leader and the one who coordinated that immense talent. Therefore, we were able to achieve so much success during that period.

What was it like training with all of those great players you mentioned?

There was so much quality on show, but we were also competitive at the training ground. Sometimes we’d play four vs four or eight vs eight for possession and finishing drills, and you wouldn’t have wanted to be the referee. We argued with each other all the time, but in a nice way. That was because we wanted to win – we wanted to make history. Learning from those players, I desperately wanted to be on the same level. You couldn’t fall asleep. When you won a match, you were instantly thinking about the next one. Everyone inside that Arsenal dressing room kept wanting to be the very best.

What was Thierry Henry like to play with week in, week out?

I never saw that guy have an injury. [ Laughs]

He was always keen. He didn’t care if it was a game against the bottom of the league or a Champions League match – he wanted to play. He wanted to be the best in everything he did. Sometimes it was difficult with him, because he wanted the ball at the right time in the perfect position. In that sense, he was a bit precise, but he was an amazing lad and a magnificent professional. He became the club’s record scorer because of his mentality as well as his quality.

Any memorable tales from your time with the Gunners?

There’s the one about when Kolo Toure came to the training ground for the first time. After a few days, he still hadn’t grasped the system and Arsene Wenger wanted him to be more aggressive. So, he told Kolo, “You’ve got to be aggressive, you’ve got to go in harder.” Then Wenger was playing against us in a training drill, and Kolo aggressively tackled him from behind. Everyone started laughing – Arsene had asked him to show that aggression, just not against him! There were loads of funny stories like that on a daily basis. We enjoyed training because we were a team that really cared about each other.

“WE ARGUED WITH EACH OTHER ALL THE TIME AT ARSENAL. WE WANTED TO WIN AND MAKE HISTORY”

Before joining Arsenal, you almost signed for Roma. How close was the move?

It was very close. I had a meeting with Mateu Alemany, who was the sporting director of Mallorca, and he said there was an offer from Roma. I was about to get married, so instead of going on honeymoon, I travelled to Rome. I had lunch with Luigi Di Biagio, who was one of Roma’s main players at the time, but then Mateu said it wasn’t the right moment to sell me. He said, “Just wait, then next year we’ll see what happens.” A year later, I signed for Arsenal – going to play in London instead of Rome was the best decision I’ve ever made.

You spent your entire career in Spain and England. What are the main differences between the Premier League and La Liga?

In Spain, it’s more controlled, technical and tactical. Midfielders are more involved, with pass and move. The Premier League is faster and the intensity is still higher than in Spain. Everything is more direct, but the game has been changing. If you look since the days of Wenger, Rafa Benitez and Alex Ferguson, all these foreign coaches have been coming in and transforming the style of play in England. You’re starting to see Premier League teams playing with more midfielders and focusing on possession, and it’s getting a lot closer to the Spanish league now.

You left Arsenal in January 2007, midway through their first season at the Emirates Stadium. Did you feel the club lost some of its soul leaving Highbury – was that partly behind your departure?

Whenever you went to the training ground, it was like a family. The same guys were there every time and we knew each other so well. There was a guy called Pat Boyle who used to drive me to training every morning. There was also the same chef providing the food. But when you move to a brand new stadium, everything changes. There are loads of new employees and you hardly know anyone. We did lose that little bit of a family feeling at the club. It was a huge change for everyone, and we all had to adapt. But a big club has to do that – you must improve in every single way. The Emirates is a fantastic stadium, the club have more income because of the move, and that money builds up so you can bring in the best players. It’s about moving forward, and it was a massive step in that regard.

What was Harry Redknapp like to play for at Portsmouth?

Unbelievable. Harry was a very special coach. He touched your heart and always knew how to motivate you in order to perform and win matches. I have regrets that I didn’t play my best under him – I turned up at Portsmouth following a long period of injury and thought I’d be at Arsenal for two or three more years. But I tell you what, we had a good squad at Portsmouth with an amazing dressing room. I would like to have been better mentally in order to enjoy my time there more, but Harry was a top manager.