Mikel Arteta admitted how happy he was with Calum Chambers after his return to action for Arsenal against Burnley on Saturday.
It was the defenders first Premier League start since the manager’s first official game in charge against Chelsea back in December 2019, and he was more than solid on the pitch.
Burnley earned a draw through no fault of his own, and Arteta insists that was ‘extremely happy’ with what he saw from Chambers.
“I’m extremely happy with him,” the Arsenal boss told reporters after the match (via Football.London).
“He deserved completely his chance to start the game because of the recovery he’s done, the preparation he’s done to get to the level he’s at at the moment and the way he trains and behaves every day.
“I think it was a really good game for him, for the needs that we had on the pitch and I think he had a really good performance.”
Chambers has always been one to impress me, whether filling in at right-back or his preferred centre-back position, and it is nice to see him survive through the full 90 minutes.
Hopefully he will be able to build his way back to 100% and finish the season strongly, and that could well allow the manager to include him in his plans for next season.
There is many reports claiming that Hector Bellerin could potentially be leaving this summer, with Juventus, PSG and Barcelona all having been linked with his signature at some point in recent months according to ESPN.
Is Chambers a better option to Bellerin when fit? Will there always be question marks over the English defender’s proneness to injury?
Patrick