Arsenal: The question looming over Calum Chambers

Calum Chambers has featured a fair amount for Arsenal in recent weeks, mostly as a center back partnering Shkodran Mustafi, but the question is, has he developed at all since his arrival?

Calum Chambers once again featured for Arsenal in a very shaky win at the home of the Russian silver medalists for the 2016/17 season of the Russian Premier League. Coming on as a substitute for a rather poor Jack Wilshere in the 70th minute whilst the Gunners were 2-0 down and looking very fragile defending, Chambers’ introduction stabilized the defense and allowed Arsenal to score two goals to level the score 2-2. Arsenal would eventually win the tie 3-6 and move onto the semi’s which may not have happened had it not been for the composure of Chambers after his introduction to the game.

Chambers started the game against Southampton as a center back alongside Shkodran Mustafi in a very nervy win, with the game eventually ending 3-2 in favor of the Gunners. This wasn’t one of Chambers’ best performance in a red and white shirt as he was constantly a step behind in every aspect. Letting defenders get past him too easily and not being quick enough to recover, giving the ball away in vital positions and just a lack of assurance which also put the pressure on Mustafi.

Many would point the finger at Mustafi for the first Southampton goal but the German’s overall performance was much better than the young Englishman’s.

Calum started off as a right back when he first arrived at the Emirates, and boy what a start it was. Winning the player of the month in his first month at his new club, the young defender really put in some amazing shifts in that right back position, making himself look a natural who’d been defending for years.

Then came ‘that’ Swansea game in which Jefferson Montero ran rings around Chambers and the young English international has never looked the same since. Losing his place to Hector Bellerin, Chambers would be experimented with as a center back. Another season of development as a center back, followed by a loan the season after in which the number 21 played 24 games and scoring one for Middlesbrough, Chambers should really be playing a bigger role at Arsenal.

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It doesn’t help with the arrival of Rob Holding, a younger, better, new kid on the block was able to outshine Chambers upon his arrival, which ultimately lead to his shipment off to Middlesbrough. This season though, he has put, like many other Arsenal players, inconsistent and unconvincing performances in that center back position.

During the Southampton game in which Chambers was having a shocker, he was moved to the right of defense as Hector Bellerin made way for Rob Holding, and it was within this position Chambers started to look like a natural again. Albeit only playing for 15 minutes as a right back, he clearly looked much more comfortable playing as a wide man rather than a central defender.

So this begs the question, is it a waste of time still persisting with Chambers as a center back? Is he good enough? Can he make the cut? But most importantly, has this all been a waste of time?

Chambers was bought as an 18 year old for us to nurture the young English talent into a future starter for the club and hope to become a great, and while that outcome is still possible, it seems like things have not gone completely to plan as of yet.

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With the manager persisting on a future defensive partnership of Chambers and Holding, as fans we can only hope that at least one of the two develops into a defender of John Terry, Martin Keown or Tony Adams’ caliber.

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