Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal squad that went unbeaten in the 2003/04 season was full of charismatic personalities.
The likes of Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry and Sol Campbell were part of the Frenchman’s star-studded ensemble, with the trio often cited as three of the most influential figures in the team’s dressing room.
With such dominant characters working together everyday, some bizarre incidents were bound to occur in the group.
Bizarre is an understatement for what happened between one player and Arsene Wenger back in 2002, with Lauren recalling the event in a fascinating interview.
- READ MORE: Arsenal icon revealed Hale End gem was actually faster than Thierry Henry in the Invincibles squad
Lauren reveals how Kolo Toure took Arsene Wenger out in an Arsenal training session
Lauren joined Arsenal in 2000, two years prior to Kolo Toure going on trial at the club.
Wenger was slowly formulating the crux of the Gunners squad that would go on to be known as the Invincibles, and Toure would become a huge part of that team – but only after his strange trial in North London.
Arsenal scouts found the centre-back playing in the Ivorian top flight and decided to grant him the opportunity to impress Wenger and potentially sign for the club in 2002.
He’d eventually pass his trial and become a permanent member of the Arsenal first team, but this came after he took Wenger out in a training session.
In an interview with Soccer AM in 2019, Lauren revealed that whilst the Gunners boss was attempting to teach Toure about aggression on the pitch, the defender slide-tackled the manager, leaving him on the ground.
“I remember he was teaching Kolo Toure, he was teaching him to be tough,” Lauren recalled.
“He says to Kolo, ‘be tough, you have to be more aggressive’. So he started to join us, he started to play, Wenger took the ball, and Kolo came behind him and just smacked him.
“We were all laughing because he tried to teach Kolo to be tough, but not against him.”
In spite of Wenger being flawed by his prospective new centre-half, he opted to sign the player, and this proved to be a smart decision.
Toure would go onto make 326 appearances in an Arsenal shirt, winning the Premier League and two FA Cups in the process.
What Kolo Toure said about the incident with Arsene Wenger
The story has become something of a cult-hero tale amidst the Invincibles squad, with many members of that iteration of Arsenal coming forward with their own accounts of what exactly happened.
Toure himself commented on the occurrence in April 2024, explaining the innocent intentions behind the clattering of the legendary coach.
“I was so enthusiastic, you know,” he said.
“For me, I couldn’t believe I was training with these guys, man. Coming there and having the chance to express myself with people that were my idols.
“When the game started I wanted to show what I was capable of doing. For me, it was a big chance, which I didn’t want to miss at all. I was trying to tackle everything I could, including the manager.”
Toure has since waxed lyrical about Wenger, clearly showing that the freak incident in training all those years ago was merely an accidental act resulting from an excitable young player looking to take his chance.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
