Calum Chambers has been assured he will be granted significant opportunities in the Arsenal first-team in the forthcoming season after the England under-19 international completed his transfer from Southampton in a deal that could end up costing €20 million.
The teenager will initially provide cover for another new signing, the €12.5 million Mathieu Debuchy, at right back and will also be utilised at centre half, with Arsène Wenger convinced the 19-year-old will eventually graduate more permanently into a central midfield berth at the Emirates stadium. While Chambers would expect to feature for Arsenal in domestic cup competitions, he has been told he will play at least 20 senior matches this term, with Arsenal also set to compete in the Champions League, as he continues his development.
The defender boasts only 23 first-team appearances to date, all but one accrued last season at St Mary’s when he started 18 Premier League games, though even those fleeting glimpses of his talent persuaded Wenger that Chambers should be lured to London.
“We are very pleased that Calum has agreed to join us,” said the Frenchman after adding his fourth new recruit of the summer to the ranks. “The way he adapted to the Premier League last season with Southampton at a young age shows that he has tremendous quality. He has a lot of the attributes that we look for in a young player and I am sure that he will do well with us.”
The player, a regular for the England under-19s, is expected to step up into Roy Hodgson’s full England set-up in the near future having already caught the manager’s eye last term. He will need to feature for his new club to make that step up, though there is confidence he will make an impact.
“I am so happy to be signing for Arsenal,” he said. “They are a team I have much admired for their playing style, and a team who have been one of the top sides in Europe for many years.
“I’m looking forward to joining up with my new team-mates today and beginning preparation for the season ahead. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone at Southampton for everything they have done for me and for making this move possible.”
Chambers had joined the academy on the south coast at the age of seven and follows Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in moving from Southampton to Arsenal.
Yet his departure has maintained the summer's eye-catching exodus of talent from Southampton, who have now effectively raised over €115 million in the market after selling Luke Shaw to Manchester United and Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren to Liverpool. Tottenham Hotspur retain an interest in securing Morgan Schneiderlin while Cardiff have tabled a bid worth around €3.8 million for the Portuguese centre half, Jose Fonte, with the new manager Ronald Koeman having added only Dusan Tadic and Graziano Pelle from Dutch football to his squad.
“We are naturally disappointed whenever any of our academy graduates leave the club, and that is very much the case with Calum’s departure,” said the Southampton executive director, Les Reed.
“Calum made it clear to us that he did not see his future at Southampton. As such, it was crucial that we were able to negotiate a substantial fee that also reflects the work our staff have put into Calum’s development since he joined the club at the age of eight.
“Our position remains unchanged in that we are determined to keep our best young players at the club, as is evidenced by the decision to award Harrison Reed a new long-term contract last week, adding to the list of committed young professionals like James Ward Prowse, Sam Gallagher, Jack Stephens, Jordan Turnbull, Matt Targett, Sam McQueen and others who have seen plenty of first-team activity recently.
“We have an abundance of talent in the Academy coming through, and everybody at the club is continuing to work hard on bringing in quality new players as we build a team capable of taking us further forward in the coming seasons. It is important in the transfer window to remain calm, resilient and above all patient. We have targets, and we are working hard to get them across the line.”
Chambers's arrival will allow Carl Jenkinson to depart Arsenal in search of greater first-team opportunities, with West Ham United and Hull City competing to sign a player capped once by the senior England side. Hull have bid €3.8 million with the Londoners seeking nearer €6 million for his signature, and the player himself thought to be keen to remain in the capital.
(Guardian Service)
