With the footballing season nearing the end, it’s time to look back at how each Arsenal player fared this season and today it’s time to review Calum Chambers.
The Englishman was picked up from Southampton for a transfer fee of £16 million last summer after a breakthrough season with the Saints during the 13/14 season. There were some dissatisfaction among some set of fans, who wanted Wenger to bring in a more experienced defender.
However no one would have expected that he would have played the amount of football he did during his first term as a Gunner. He was drafted straight into the first team after making the move, standing in for Mertesacker who was given an extended break after their world cup heroics in Brazil.
He didn’t take much time to hit the ground running, as the former Saints man started off the season partnering Laurent Koscienly in the heart of the defence. He started off his Arsenal career on a flying note, as he showed maturity which was way better than others of his age. He is good in the air and also has a good range of passing, while also showcasing his ability of playing at the center of defense.
When playing at fullback he struck a good understanding with Chamberlain and drilled in some good balls from that right flank. Then around mid-season his performances started to dip a bit which could be attributed to the fatigue factor and also partially because of playing in the right back position, where he came across some pacy wingers(remember the away game against Swansea, where he struggled against Montero?).
The youngster has great control and has the talent to maneuver through some tight gaps, which gives the Gunners some scope of using him in the midfield. However his positioning has let him down couple of times when playing at right back, which he should improve along with experience.
He was purchased to be a cover at the right back position, however judging by his performances, it looks as if his future lies in the center back position. The key for Arsenal would be to use him in one position rather than changing often, once in a while should be fine though. If we can do that, he looks to be a long term successor of Per Mertesacker.
Overall, it only looks like his weakness is his positioning, though it is not disastrous but it is something which he can improve upon along with experience. He gets a 7.5 out of a 10 on our rating scale.
What do you think of Chambers performance this season?
