Let's cut to the chase with the important bit first. What's with
the hair? How did Bacary Sagna come to choose such an unusual style
blond braids hanging down like a beaded curtain? Arsenal's
impressive new right-back explains with a smile.
"It goes back years, to when I was still playing up front as a boy.
It was a bet with my dad, who said I could have my hair how I
wanted it if I scored in the next game. I scored two so went out
and had these braids put in. It's been the same ever since."
The same, that is, until the other week, when Sagna took out the
false extensions to wash his real hair.
"It was the day before the Sunderland game," he remembers. "Time
was tight because we were due to meet at the hotel and I couldn't
get the braids back in. In the end, I left them out for the game
and made a mess of it when I tried to put them back in. My mum did
it properly when I returned home to France."
Yes, you can always rely on mum as you can, it seems, on Arsene
Wenger when he plucks out a relative unknown to play for his side.
The French manager rarely fails when it comes to earmarking the
right sort, Sagna being the latest to thrive in London N5.
What makes this player slightly different, however, is the almost
indecent haste with which he has apparently conquered the task, as
if settling down in a new country and adjusting to the Premier
League were nothing more taxing than buying a baguette.
Helping him along is a simple ethos.
"I've tried to give my absolute best in every game," he says.
"Working hard has brought results."
There is nothing remotely flash in the way Sagna plays, nothing too
complicated or intricate that could get in the way. A tough,
resolute defender, he gets the basics right first before even
contemplating something more elaborate. It's an attitude and style
that has blended perfectly so far with the more expansive qualities
that have characterised his new club's wonderful start to the
season.
"Playing in a team like Arsenal obviously helps," he confirms on
the eve of tomorrow's tasty trip to Liverpool. "The thing you do
notice straight away is that it is quite physical. There's lots of
tough tackling in this league. My fighting spirit, though, is one
of my main attributes."
Known as a quiet, discreet, model professional back in France,
Sagna showed his steely side when Arsenal came calling this summer.
Having only just sold Younes Kaboul to Tottenham, Auxerre were
understandably reluctant to let another star defender go. Yet Sagna
was insistent.
"Yes, I was determined. It was time to make a move. I'd been there
all my life and at 24 I wanted to develop at a club where I could
make progress. The chance to join Arsenal doesn't come along every
day. I couldn't miss out on joining one of the best clubs in
Europe."
Nothing can detract, however, from his time in Burgundy, where Guy
Roux's epic 44-year stewardship became the stuff of legend. Sagna
will never forget Roux's all-pervading influence.
"He was massively important for me, pushing me every day in
training, demanding that I give it my best. In my personal life and
in my football career he has helped a great deal. He just teaches
you how to carry yourself, how to behave on and off the
field."
It was Roux, in fact, who played a big part in Sagna's decision to
play for France instead of Senegal, the birthplace of his
parents.
The youngster was still playing for Auxerre's reserves when his
father sent off several letters to Bruno Metsu, the Senegal
national manager, asking that his son be considered for the 2002
World Cup squad. A reply never came something Senegal would come
to regret when Sagna made his Ligue 1 debut three years
later.
Suddenly, the phone starting ringing. The country of Sagna's
descent was desperate to recruit the talented defender.
Roux, however, had other ideas, as did Rene Girard, France's
under-21 coach. Between them, they phoned Sagna's father
practically every day, imploring him not to let Senegal get hold of
Bacary, since both of them thought the prospect was good enough to
represent Les Bleus.
And both, as it turned out, were absolutely right. With two caps to
his name already, Sagna should push Willy Sagnol very hard over the
next few years for France's right-back slot. Thinking back to the
decision, Sagna sighs with a shrug.
"Now I get criticised. When I go back to Senegal loads of kids
always surround me and ask why I chose France. But I am a big lad
now. I can take it. The advice I got at the time was good."
It can't be bad now, either. As a mentor, they don't come much
better than the skilful Wenger.
"The boss has regular chats with me, telling me how I'm doing and
how I can improve. He was one of the main reasons I came here
that and the fact that Arsenal are a big club that like to play
good football."
Bacary Sagna shining in Arsenal crop
So on to the next two games. Following tomorrow's trip to Anfield,
Manchester United visit the Emirates Stadium in the second part of
a test that many see as crucial in examining Arsenal's credentials
as potential champions.
"A lot of people say that, but I don't agree," Sagna says. "We have
to concentrate on ourselves. No matter who the opponents are, we've
got to impose our own style of play. That's the important
thing."
So exactly how far can the table-toppers go, fresh from their 7-0
thrashing of Slavia Prague?
"Why not win the league? Why not the Champions League? We are all
young and believe in our hearts that we can do it. If you can't
believe these things when you are young, when can you? You just go
for it without any fear.
"I read the newspapers at the start of the season. Everyone said we
would struggle without Thierry Henry, that we wouldn't be able to
cope. Thierry was obviously a great player for this club but maybe
the players here now feel a little more confident to try things,
feel more liberated and relaxed."
There speaks a man who is utterly comfortable in his new
surroundings. After a handful of games, Arsenal feels like
home.