The right-back position was a split between three players in my mind- Lee Dixon, Bacary Sagna and Lauren. Sagna was eliminated because his contribution came at a time were Arsenal were unfortunately unable to claim trophies or fight consistently for them and against Dixon, Lauren edges it. The Cameroonian player made over 150 league appearances for Arsenal, all of which were under Arsene Wenger who signed him in 2000. By the time Arsenal won the double in 2002, Lauren was a key part of the defence and had become one of the first names on the team sheet. He was still part of that side when Arsenal went the season unbeaten, during a year when he also made his 150th appearance in an Arsenal jersey. He won three FA Cups with the North London club, picking up his last in 2005- Arsenal's last trophy. He may not have been a one-club man, arriving from Mallorca and leaving to go to Portsmouth but it was at Arsenal where he had his success and his best years, a loyal servant to Arsene Wenger and the football club altogether. In hindsight, Lauren probably shouldn't have departed when he did. Emmanuel Eboue and Justin Hoyte were the players that passed him the pecking order when he was injured, look where they are now. Until Bacary Sagna, this was another area where Arsenal struggled to replace another great. Lauren is an unsung hero in both the double winning side of 2002 and the invincible team of 2004, he fully deserves his place in this team and he will take some beating to be knocked off this perch. Especially if Bacary Sagna fails to sign a new contract.
Josh has had work featured in the Evening Gazette and on Newcastle United website. He is a Multimedia Journalism student at Teesside University and runs a successful sports blog. He also enjoys films, comics and TV, writing about anything he can. Josh has recently started writing his first of what he hopes will be many books.
