Arsenal: Fate wants everyone to remember Calum Chambers

Arsenal’s defensive solidity is in danger of melting with Shkodran Mustafi out, but don’t forget Calum Chambers. Seriously. Don’t.

Arsenal were hit with a blast from the past as they witnessed a crucial first team starter bite the dust. Shkodran Mustafi came up lame against Azerbaijan in a match that didn’t matter (all too appropriate) and with five matches coming up in the next fourteen days, this could spell trouble.

But yet again, we have to remember Calum Chambers. Too often this lad gets lost in the shuffle. When he went to loan at Middlesbrough, all you could see was quality. He was the anchor of that constantly besieged defense and he held strong.

Why he was’t more involved in the preseason has to come down to either niggling injuries or that dreaded forgetfulness, because Chambers has always, always possessed the natural abilities of a top class defender.

When Gabriel Paulista was sold, I assumed it would force us to remember Chambers, as at long last, there was nothing in the way of him being used regularly, even if in a rotational role.

And then, after just 45 minutes (45 exquisite minutes) he yet again went down to injury, the same injury, and has been forced out of the team.

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But he was schedule to be back after international break and, lo and behold, that coincides quite nicely with where we are, at the crossroads of “dear Lord, we’ve lost Mustafi” and “what the hell do we do now?”

Chambers is what we do now. There has been tragically little in the updates department regarding the Englishman, but if everything is going according to schedule, then we should see a return to prominence of Chambers, who was Rob Holding before Rob Holding was Rob Holding.

Most will see Holding as the man most heavily leaned upon while Mustafi works his way back to fitness, and that may well be the case, but I’d venture to say that Chambers, as it stands, has more first team merit than his younger countryman.

Chambers has much more experience at the top level and he’s been chomping at the bit to prove himself with Arsenal, whereas Holding has been gifted numerous opportunities and turned in a mixed bag of results.

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In an ideal world, Chambers will be back and the Gunners will have four fit and healthy center backs, which is still incredibly thin, but talent-wise, it’s enough to sustain a sturdy wall in front of goal until we can bolster the ranks a bit.

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