Can Calum Chambers cement a place for himself in the Arsenal rearguard? by SE
Calum Chambers, in whatever we have seen of him during his early days at the Emirates, has done well and lived up to the lofty expectations of an Arsenal player. At just 19 years old, Chambers has shown a good head on his shoulders, and handled things pretty smoothly for a player who is still a new kid on the block and has a fair bit of learning to do. Fortunately, however, the former Southampton defender has found hell of a lot of game time, due to Per Mertesacker’s exertions at the world cup to go with injuries to Mathieu Debuchy and Laurent Koscielny, than what he would have anticipated at the time of completing his move to Arsenal. Going forward, can Chambers cement a place for himself in the Arsenal rearguard?
For Chambers to make a permanent spot for himself in the Arsenal rearguard, he would have to dethrone Mertesacker or Koscielny (when the Frenchman returns from injury) from the Arsenal backline, with pristine performances that force Arsene Wenger into preferring form players over players who have proven experience. And, as things stand, it’s difficult to see that happening. One of primary reasons is the stage in the careers of each one of the aforementioned personnel; Chambers, at 19, is bound to be overlooked because of the years he has got ahead of him, which is not the case with Mertesacker and Koscielny who consequently should/ are expected to play ahead of Chambers when fit.
The other debatable point is whether Wenger goes into the January transfer window intending to buy a backup defender, with so very little resources available to him currently. In that case, Winston Reid and Kostas Manolas could be potential candidates to make a switch to the Emirates from their current clubs, which could cast a doubt over Chambers’ place in the Arsenal rearguard.
However, as is already the case, Chambers’ versatility will always be an added advantage for him over other players (defenders, especially) in the Arsenal squad. His ability to play at Center-Back, Right-Back and as a defensive midfielder was what made Wenger splash out £16m to bring him to the Emirates and, when it comes to competition for places, Chambers has a good chance of getting the nod over others to play anywhere at the back or, just ahead, as defensive midfielder.
It is indeed difficult to see Chambers making a permanent spot for himself in the Arsenal rearguard at a time when Mertesacker and Koscielny are head-and-shoulders above the Englishman in terms of experience and quality. Also, once Debuchy returns from his ankle injury, the Frenchman is another frontrunner to play at Right-Back, which could further limit Chambers’ chances of playing in the Arsenal backline. However, this scenario should not impede Chambers from giving it his all whenever he is provided with a chance to show what he is capable of.