Eagle-eyed Arsenal Women supporters would have noticed Laila Harbert back in training recently following the conclusion of the NWSL season, where she was on loan with Portland Thorns.
Such are the lengths she’s willing to go to for her development, our academy graduate spent four months in America and, after returning to the Sobha Realty Training Centre in December, she spoke to [Arsenal.com](http://Arsenal.com) just before Christmas.
Reflecting on her time overseas, Laila said: “I think looking back it went quite quickly. I was there for a limited amount of time, but I think in that time I really grew as a person and a player. It was really important for me to take that step outside of my comfort zone and challenge myself in a new environment, a new playing style, and a new lifestyle. I think it's really taught me a lot of valuable lessons.
“I feel like I've really redefined my definition of success. I think that everyone can look at match minutes but it's like ‘what are you doing in training that enables you to get those minutes and what are you doing off the pitch, in the gym and recovering to enable you to be that bit more physical and compete in duels and receive the ball under pressure?’
“It's a very fast game out in the NWSL so it's really just those small things that I've come back and realised have made me a better player.
“I think it's learning off the players that are around you and the staff as well, noticing things in your game that you can improve on. It all combines together, the gym, the analysis, the recovery and just my internal motivation to become better.”
> "I was the only person at pre-match scooping those beans!"
So what was life like off the pitch for Laila, so far away from home?
“With the eight-hour time difference, it was quite hard to speak to people back home, but it's just finding that routine whilst I was out there to be able to do that, but also to enjoy the life that I had out there,” she explained. “It's very different but it was really enjoyable just to see a different culture.
“They asked a lot of questions about the comparisons and it was nice because there were a few girls there who had experienced the English culture as well so it was nice for me to connect with them and see how they found things over here.”
Laila revealed in a recent interview with England that one of the things she missed the most was her pre-match beans on toast! Did her English teammates feel the same way?
“Absolutely not! I was the only person at pre-match scooping those beans! Obviously the main things I missed would be my family and friends, but I think as well my car. I couldn't drive out there because it's a different type of insurance and license. I kept walking to the wrong side of the car to be the passenger as well!”
It can often be beneficial for young players to go out of their comfort zone, but going all the way to America represented a different challenge for Laila.
“I think that I'd already done a few loans in England in the WSL2 and I think this was a step for me that was like ‘no, I'm going to stretch myself and become a better person and player.’ If it meant closing the gap between where I wanted to be and where I am then I was willing to do that.
“I think I'm quite a driven person as you can tell by that step and I think it's really benefited me. There's a lot of travel and a condensed fixture period but in that time I think I visited five other states as well as Oregon. It was a very cool experience.
“We were on the West Coast in Oregon and we had I think three East Coast fixtures whilst I was there, so that's a five or six hour flight for example, and then obviously you'd travel maybe the matchday minus two, so then you'd spend another three days away from home.
“It was just managing all of that and prioritising recovery and how you can perform at the levels you know you can whilst being on the road too.
“For home games you can turn up in your own clothes which I think was that extra bit of freedom and a bit of flair and a bit of personality that the NWSL allows for, which I thought was really liberating and I did enjoy that aspect of it out there. I think they're quite good with the media and the fashion and combining the two of being a person as well as a player.”
> "I get to be around world-class players now every day"
So what has Laila made of our season from afar? Naturally, it’s not been so easy to catch all of our matches live.
“They'd be on at like six or seven in the morning but I'd try my best to catch up and there were a few games that I was able to watch live on the road, so that made the plane journeys a bit more entertaining.
“We're in good form right now, I think the team are right behind each other and I think we're ending this block on a high.
“I’ve been back for a couple of weeks, it's been really enjoyable just to see everyone again and challenge myself with the training. Being in the environment, it's always really nice to come back and then see how I've progressed from comparing how I was before I left and then coming back and seeing how much closer I've got to where I want to be.
“I think that's the challenge for me now - just to keep working and controlling what I can and hopefully end up where I want to be.”
Asked about the academy setup at Arsenal and the pathway through to the first team, Laila added: “I think it was quite a smooth transition for myself, I think that working my way up through the academy, this was always the aim and I think I'm fortunate enough to be in the position where I get to be around world class players now every day.
“For me it's just about how I can get to that level myself now and I think the loan system is quite good as well in terms of I know that I need regular senior minutes and if it's not going to be at my parent club for now it's ‘can I go and challenge myself to get them quality minutes elsewhere,’ which I've been able to do. So I think the academy setup has been really good for me.”
Another academy graduate Laila has spent plenty of time around, including on loan at Watford in the past, is Michelle Agyemang, who was recently named BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.
“I texted her straight away,” Laila said. “It’s very well deserved and I’m very happy for her. She was sitting front row, so I was looking at her and I was like ‘she's going to get up’ because I know she's going to win, it’s very well deserved.”
> "Our loans manager actually came out to Portland to see me"
One message Laila was keen to reiterate was that, at Arsenal, it’s not just about developing good players, but good people as well.
“I think that that's one thing that I've become increasingly aware of, how important it is to look after yourself in the process because I think making a move to America like that, I think it can mentally take a toll on you as well,” she explained. “Being so far away from home, not knowing anyone, being out of your comfort zone and the challenges of connections as I spoke to earlier.
“It’s just recognising when you may be a bit burnt out or you need a bit more connection and just speaking up and getting some help. I think Arsenal have been really supportive throughout my time in America and since I've come back to make sure that I've been well looked after.
“Our loans manager actually came out to Portland for a week as well which I really appreciated because I think that just showed the level of support that I get back home at Arsenal as well. He flew out to see if I was okay being in and around the environment and to have that familiar face from home, I really appreciated that.
“I was in a house share with two other teammates and one actually came to London the other day and we met up, so it's been nice and I feel like I've made some friends for life from there as well. It's been nice to obviously connect with them whilst I was there.
“The rule for me is the person you become on that journey, so I think I've learnt so much about myself away from football that I can take not just on the pitch but in life.”
There will be plenty more familiar faces from home around the dinner table with Christmas to look forward to, and it’s never easy for parents to see their children go far away from home.
"It'll be nice to be back home and just be around the family.”
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