Arsenal icon revealed Hale End gem was actually faster than Thierry Henry in the Invincibles squad

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Theirry Henry was one of the most frightening players to play against in his time at Arsenal.

The Frenchman possessed blistering pace, mesmeric skill and immaculate finishing ability, scoring a staggering 228 goals in a red and white shirt.

Henry is widely regarded as Arsenal’s greatest-ever player, although some of the squads he played in boasted an embarrassment of riches.

Arsene Wenger was exceptional at nurturing talent in his heyday, with the 2003/04 squad that went an entire season unbeaten flaunting the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires and Patrick Vieira, as well as Henry.

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Lauren claims one Arsenal star was quicker than Thierry Henry

The 2003/04 ensemble was indeed littered with talent, and subsequently produced Arsenal’s greatest Premier League season.

The Gunners won 26 games, drew 12 and lost zero across the 38-game league season, lifting the only golden trophy to be distributed in the English top flight.

Lauren was a prominent figure in the Invincibles squad, holding down the right-back spot when he was fit that season.

Speaking on that time period at Highbury, the former Cameroon defender made a surprising revelation about Henry and one other Arsenal star.

In an interview with Soccer AM in 2019, Lauren claimed that Jermaine Pennant was at least as quick as Henry over a short distance.

“The best player for me was Thierry Henry because the fact that he’s the top scorer in the history of the institution of Arsenal, that makes him the best player for me,” he said.

“He was the quickest, together with [Jermaine] Pennant. Pennant was real quick.

“Thierry would come out on top in long distance, but maybe in the short distance, it could be more level.”

Given the rapid velocity Henry would display when chasing for a long ball, this speaks volumes about the supposed pace of Pennant, who spent the majority of the Invincibles season on loan at Leeds United.

What happened to Jermain Pennant’s career?

Pennant is now an outspoken figure in football media, but back in the early 2000s, he was one of the brightest prospects in Arsenal’s youth set-up after joining the club at 15 from Notts County.

The winger scored a hat-trick on his full Premier League debut in 2003, but only amassed 26 appearances for the Gunners across six years at the club.

Eventually leaving for Birmingham City, Pennant would end up at Liverpool, where he played in a Champions League final.

However, after a series of injuries, the Englishman’s career stagnated, and after a lengthy spell at Stoke City, he ended up touring the lower leagues.

Spending time in India and Singapore at Pune City and Tampine Rovers respectively, he also had stints at Wolves, Wigan and Bury, before ending his career in non-league with Billericay Town.