The Halfway Line sat down for an exclusive interview with Arsenal duo Laila Harbert and Vivienne Lia, who are spending the second half of the season on loan with Southampton.
Harbert and Lia, both 18, signed their first professional contracts with the Gunners in January, and have been named in Lauren Smith’s U19 Young Lionesses squad to take on Spain, USA, and the Netherlands in the Albir Garden tournament.
The young talents opened up about their time on the south coast so far, playing under female coaches Renée Slegers and Remi Allen, and learning from the likes of Leah Williamson.
U17s World Cup captaincy was ‘surreal’ says Harbert
Harbert wore the captain’s armband for England as they came fourth in the U17s World Cup last year – matching their best ever finish in the tournament. The defensive midfielder said of the experience, “It was surreal, to be honest. I think that’s something that you dream of as a little girl to play for England, but then to captain it on top of that, was a great one for me.”
She went on, “It was really valuable in terms of seeing how we compare to other countries around the world, not limited to European opposition, as we’re always playing the European teams.
“The likes of Japan, Korea, America. It’s not teams that you face every day. So just seeing how I compare to their midfielders and then us as a nation as a whole, was a really valuable experience, and gave us some good insight as to how we can close that gap between us and other nations.”
Asked whether stepping into the role of captain on the international stage is a career goal of hers, Harbert asserted “For sure, I’d say that I do think have some of the qualities that could put me in them conversations and in them rooms. Hopefully in the future, when I’m a bit older, I’d like to be in that position.”
Saints ‘encourage us to have a voice’ praises Harbert
The Halfway Line asked the rising stars how they have found the move to Barclays Women’s Championship side Southampton, having both signed with the club on loan during the winter transfer window.
“It’s been really enjoyable,” said Harbert, “All the girls took us in as one of their own straight away, and we said the transition was quite smooth in terms of we knew each other and a few other players coming in. It’s always nice to know familiar faces.”
Harbert spoke highly of her Saints teammates and the integration of herself and Lia into the squad. “Everyone’s been great in terms of communicating on and off the pitch. Tara [Bourne] and Paige [Peake] are the other centre-backs. They’re real leaders within the group as well, making sure that we’ve got everything that we need.
“In terms of on the pitch, allowing us to speak up, and encouraging us to have a voice within the team despite our age, is something that I’ve found important.”
Lia echoed, “It was quite easy to settle in, because it’s a very young squad. All the girls have been super welcoming and really helpful on and off the pitch.”
The winger went on, “I think everyone’s their own leader in their own ways, through their actions, but also through the things that they do on the pitch. I think you can learn a lot from different personalities and different groups of people.”
Lia says Championship minutes are ‘a great challenge’
In the WSL, just seven points currently separate first and second. In the Championship, meanwhile there are seven points between seventh and first.
“It’s a lot more competitive in terms of results can go either way,” said Harbert of the second tier, “Every match is a must win. It’s just about not being complacent and just taking every game as it’s a must win, and every opponent is very difficult.”
Lia elaborated, “That made the league very attractive to come into as well, seeing how tight it was. You know that it’s very competitive. Everyone wants to win, and that’s always nice to come into and to test yourself in such an environment.”
The pair have already made appearances for Allen’s Saints. Harbert declared, “As soon as you settle in, it’s about playing and getting that first game under your belt, and then after that, it’s how you compete and still earn the right to start the next one. And that will just keep going on and on until the end of the season, which is something that I think will keep us on our toes and enjoy our time here.”
Lia called the league “A great challenge,” saying “You want to earn that shirt, and you want to earn the right to play every week, and it’s something that we have high standards for ourselves. We know that we do want to be playing, but we also recognise that you need to work hard for it, and it’s not just going to be given to you.”
Remi Allen and Renée Slegers ‘know what you need’ tells Lia
The youngsters spoke with great enthusiasm about their experiences playing under two up-and-coming female managers – Arsenal’s Renée Slegers and Southampton’s Remi Allen.
“I really enjoy it,” beamed Harbert, “I think they instil such confidence in us as young players to trust us and give us those opportunities. And obviously both have played football before as players and centre midfielders, particularly for me, so they’re people that I look up to, and they give really detailed advice around the position as well.”
“Working with them has been amazing,” added Lia, “As Laila said, they really do put trust in us.”
“They’ll test you in the right ways and push you out of your comfort zones in the right ways,” the winger continued, “And because they were players as well, they know what you need, and the demands that they set for you are just as high as the demands that you set for yourself. It’s nice to have those coaches that push you.”
Senior Arsenal environment is ‘something I really grew from’ says Harbert
Having spent the first half of the season with their parent club before making the move to the Saints, this season has been a pivotal one for both of these prospects.
Lia lamented, “That was the first time for me, personally, to be in a full-time senior environment. Coming from the academy last season, having a mixed program, in a sense where I was with the academy and with the first team, so having that this season was really valuable for me.
“Of course it’s different – you’re not playing matches every week, but being around world class footballers, you learn so much. Just seeing the habits that they carry themselves with and how you can apply that to your own game, and just taking small things from their game and seeing how you can make yourself a better footballer.”
Harbert added: “Training in and around world class players every day and getting that senior exposure is something I really grew from, technically and tactically in terms of the demand of the game, which then translated into actually playing match minutes in Southampton so far in the Championship. And it’s just that competitiveness as well, just earning the right to play and start in the team every week.”
‘Age is just a number’ declares Lia
The promising young players will see out the remainder of the season together at Southampton, and spoke about what they hope to gain from the loan spell in addition to providing a boost to the club’s campaign.
Harbert emphasised “Personally, to get as many minutes as I can, and with the right performances as well as I have high standards for those minutes that I do play.”
“I echo that,” said Lia, “Just keep getting minutes, keep testing ourselves and just earning the right to play as well, knowing that, of course, we are still young players, but that age is just a number, and just knowing that if we put in the performances, you will earn the rights to have that shirt.”
Arsenal academy pathway is ‘inspirational’ commend duo
England captain Williamson is one of the biggest names to have risen up through the ranks of the Arsenal youth system. Harbert and Lia touched on their own journeys through the academy setup and how their parent club is helping them to make their aspirations a reality.
“It’s inspirational, just knowing that there is a pathway,” said Lia, “Going through the academy, of course, you know that it’s one of the best academies in England.
“You have to earn the right to play in the first team. That’s the goal that everyone has in the academy. But also knowing that there’s a pathway and that if you work hard, if you keep growing and improving, that you can compete and you can get there, especially having role models in the first team to speak to and who give advice.
“They’re all helpful, especially Leah, of course, Lotte [Wubben-Moy]. They probably push us the most out of everyone, because I think they can see that we have that the potential, but they know how hard it is to actually push into the game. I can’t speak any more highly of the girls.”
Harbert concluded, “Like Viv said, everyone’s journey is different, but ultimately, we know that the steps that we’re taking now on loan will help us get to where we want to be, which is regularly playing for Arsenal, but we know at our age that doesn’t happen as it did before for maybe the likes of Leah, so she has spoken to us about the importance of going out on loan, and everyone at the club’s been really supportive of the process.”
Harbert and Lia will be back in Championship action with Southampton this weekend, when they travel to Bristol City.
