Wenger: Lauren can leave Arsenal

Manager Arsène Wenger has confirmed that right-back Lauren can leave the club if he wants.

The former Real Mallorca midfielder has been recovering from a knee injury but is now surplus to requirements at the club.

Emmanuel Eboue and Justin Hoyte appear to be the more capable replacements for the former Cameroon midfielder.

Wenger said: "The problem is that since Lauren got injured I have Justin Hoyte who got promoted, I have Emmanuel Eboue who got promoted and I have Johan Djourou who can play in there too.

"It's always the same. You make room for young players and then it is difficult to leave them out again.

"I feel we have too many players in that position now.

"Lauren is free to talk to anyone because it is the end of his contract but frankly I don't know if he has spoken to West Ham.

"He doesn't have to inform me if he wants to speak to anyone."

User Comments

FoxHound

Posted on 15 Jan, 2007 at 09:31 PM - Reply

I wished that wasn't true, but it's true.
You can check the Arsenal Official site.

I agree with you clockendjim.

Jean Louis

Posted on 15 Jan, 2007 at 08:58 PM - Reply

If they may need experience to improve as you say and which I agree then the only way to do this is to let them play... with Lauren here they wouldnt play a lot and wouldnt be experienced players for next season. Thats why Wenger's giving Lauren the chance to leave.

Ricky

Posted on 15 Jan, 2007 at 12:51 PM - Reply

lauren should say.i wont hem back at right-back we have miss hem there.Eboue is good but not as good as lauren. Eboue is a bit silly some time like the FA cup game we play livepool he go down to easy and he gave the ball away a lot. That was the best think to do was to bring on hoyte but if lauren was fit he would be the best think and to let ljungberg go is not a very good idea

el bondo

Posted on 15 Jan, 2007 at 04:01 AM - Reply

I have to disagree with Wenger on this one- maybe Lauren's knee will not permit him to play at an Arsenal pace, but he's been a great team man for years. I also think that Eboue needs real competition if he is going to learn that we don't dive at Arsenal. Eboue can become a total right back- he's great going forward, is learning the defensive side, but he has to stop play-acting. I think Hoyte is destined to be no more than a back up, but then I thought that about Clichy too and he just keeps getting better. Long story short- Arsenal should keep and play Lauren right now, and discuss more at the end of the season. Sure he can just leave on a Bosman but they would be better off using his experience until the end of the season than taking some token transfer fee now.

clockendjim

Posted on 14 Jan, 2007 at 01:25 PM - Reply

I am not happy if this is true. I do not think that Hoyte or Eboue can defend anywhere near as well as Lauren.
As great as the performance against Blackburn was, nearly all the risk to Arsenal's goal came down our right side.
Blackburn obviously sensed Hoyte as the weak link and played on it by giving Pedersen most of the ball and he put in lots of dangerous crosses.
Both Hoyte and Eboue have plenty of talent. What they do not seem to have is positional sense, both being absent without leave so many times leaving so much space on our right side. This may improve with experience, but in the meantime Lauren could provide that valuable commodity

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