Lauren spent seven successful years in north London, under the wing of Arsene Wenger.
The Cameroonian was a consistent member of the Arsenal first team during 2003–04 and became known as one of the 'Invincibles' after the team went the whole season unbeaten. The right-back made his 150th appearance for the Gunners during the record-breaking run and played an important role in clinching an infamous Premier League title, winning his second League winners' medal in the process.
He is amongst a star-studded group of Arsenal legends that understand, more than anyone, the true meaning of footballing accomplishment. Now, almost 19 years on from staggering success, it seems as though the current crop of players in N5 are continuing one of football's most wonderful legacies.
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"He can be a £100m - £200m player in the future"
In his recent interview with FairBettingSites, Lauren was full of praise for his former team. He was particularly complimentary of Arsenal's current number 8, Martin Ødegaard.
"Ødegaard was not a cheap player, but he has been great and still has more to show. If he continues to improve, he can be a £100m or £200m player in the future", Lauren said during his interview.
"I can see Ødegaard compete for the top individual awards such as the Ballon d'Or, the performances of the team are helping him to grow. In the future, if Arsenal win the Premier League, then perform well in the Champions League next season, I believe Ødegaard will be among the best in the world". There, Lauren mentions the importance of the team's performance as a whole and the distinct impact this has on an individual display.
Sustaining this narrative, as someone familiar with defending at the very highest level, the former right-back spoke on the vitality of Liverpool's centre-back pairing Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk and suggested their lack of game time together may have played a key part in Liverpool's disastrous start to the 22/23 season.
"The Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk partnership is very important for Liverpool, if any team lost their main centre-back partnership they would struggle. We have seen over the years that when they play together, they can play very well."
Continuing his defensive discussion, the Cameroon international was full of praise for fellow right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The 25-year-old was eliminated from the Manchester United starting XI during the opening stages of the 22/23 Premier League season, with Diogo Dalot fast becoming Erik ten Hag's preferred figure on United's right flank.
However, since Dalot sustained a lengthy muscle injury, the presence of Wan-Bissaka in United's backline has certainly become key. Since returning to the side, AWB has featured on 11 occasions, keeping an impressive seven clean sheets in the process.
"Aaron Wan-Bissaka had some very good moments against Arsenal and he still has time to improve, he's a very good player. The fact he plays for Man United shows he has a strong mentality so I'm not surprised he has improved and made his way back into the starting XI."
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"Arsenal have the mental strength to win the Premier League"
Finally, the former Arsenal man applauded the phenomenal character of Arteta's team to see off the Red Devils at Emirates Stadium. He followed by expressing his belief that if Arsenal sustains their impressive run of results and keep Manchester City trailing behind, they should absolutely be considered as serious contenders to lift the Premier League trophy in less than four months' time.
"The Arsenal team have been fantastic and they showed a lot of mental strength to come back and played quality football against Manchester United. I've said before if Arsenal are able to stay top of the league by the end of January and the beginning of February, then they have a big chance to win the Premier League", Lauren concluded his interview full of promise, intrigue and obvious optimism.
