The former Arsenal star opened up on settling in at the Gunners and battling for his place in the team
Arsene Wenger looks on as Emmanuel Eboue of Arsenal controls the ball
Emmanuel Eboue has opened up on his relationship with Arsene Wenger (Image: 2011 Getty Images)
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Former Arsenal defender Emmanuel Eboue has revealed that fellow ex-Gunners star Lauren helped him settle in at the club This is despite the Cameroon international initially laughing at the ex-Ivory Coast player.
Eboue, now 42, joined Arsenal in 2004 from Belgian outfit Beveren. The right-back played for the Gunners across seven seasons, even featuring for the club in the 2006 Champions League final defeat to Barcelona.
Eboue was in direct competition for the right-back spot with Lauren at Arsenal. He even made his Premier League debut at the expense of his team-mate, replacing the injured Lauren against Liverpool at Anfield in 2005.
He revealed how he lay down a gauntlet for his rival. "At the very beginning, it was hard for me to get into the team because Lauren was already at the club, and was such a great player who had done so much in his career," Eboue told Ladbrokes at the launch of Ladisfaction.
"But I said to him, very early on, 'Lauren, listen to me… I’m here to play. I’m not here to sit on the bench'. He was laughing at me, and I wanted to let him know that I was serious.
Yet Lauren embraced Eboue. The former full-back added: "You know, even though I was still so young, I wanted to play. And even though he was the person I was fighting against for a place in the team, he helped me so much… he made everything so easy for me."
Speaking on his arrival at Arsenal, Eboue opened up on dealing with a bout of imposter syndrome and how former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger helped him adapt to his surroundings.
Sol Campbell, Jens Lehmann, Gilberto Silva, Emmanuel Eboue, Kolo Toure, Robert Pires, (fr) Alexander Hleb, Cesc Fabregas, Freddie Ljungberg, Thierry Henry, Ashley Cole before the UEFA Champions League Final match between Barcelona and Arsenal
Emmanuel Eboue (back row fourth from the right) started for Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League Final between Barcelona and the Gunners at Stade De France on May 17, 2006(Image: Allstar/Getty)
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"I never felt like I was out of my depth at Arsenal, even though I was sharing a dressing room with some of the biggest names in the world at the time," he explained.
"My goal was always to play for a big club, so I knew I was good enough. Kolo Toure already being at the club made it too easy for me, in terms of settling in. And, like I said, there were so many French players within the side, that it was really easy for me to fit in.
"As a young player at the time, those guys really helped me a lot. For me, it was really easy to adapt to the league. When I first arrived, I think the fans were surprised by me, because I was so young and so skinny – I don’t think any of the supporters thought that boy was going to go on and do so well for the club.
Lauren of Arsenal clears the ball from the box
Lauren was in competition with Eboue for the right-back spot(Image: Getty)
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"When I arrived, Arsene Wenger spoke a lot with me and was keen to let me know what was expected of me. He knew it was going to be difficult for me at first, but he said he believed in me, and that was all that mattered. You know, when Arsene Wenger says that to you, you know you’re going to be OK. All he wanted was for me to give my best."
Eboue left Arsenal in 2011 for a trophy-laden spell at Galatasaray. He played in Turkey for three seasons winning three Super Lig titles, two Turkish Cups and two Turkish Super Cups.
He later returned to the Premier League with Sunderland. Although he left the Black Cats in April 2016, having not played for the club.
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