Arsenal: Do or die for Calum Chambers

Calum Chambers is 23 years of age. He is no longer a young prospect; it’s time he established himself as a fully-fledged starter for Arsenal. It’s do-or-die time for Chambers.

The most difficult period of any player’s development is the step from junior to senior levels. The first professional contract is quite easy to attain for a relatively talented individual. Clubs are happy to sign lots of young players to cheap contracts on the off chance that they may just bloom when they hit the senior squad.

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But once they get that contract, it can be difficult to earn it. There is a myriad of once highly-touted 18-year-olds dumped on the scrapheap as 22 and 23-year-olds, forced to ply their trade further down the footballing pyramid at a level that was previously thought to be below their talent.

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The graduation from hot prospect to fully-fledged starter is extremely challenging. There are many players that fail at each and every step of the progression. But for those that do succeed, by the time they reach 22 and 23, they are usually playing as full-time starters at their respective club. But for Calum Chambers, who will turn 24 midway through next season, that has not yet come to pass.

Signed for £18 million in 2014, Chambers was always seen as a future anchor of the Arsenal defence. But he has not quite developed as many hoped. Inconsistent form, individual errors, and lapses in concentration have diminished his progress, and, while he still shows great potential with his athleticism and ability on the ball, he has never climbed higher than third-choice in the squad.

But he now has the chance to fight for a starting role. Chambers was handed a new four-year contract in the summer, implying that Unai Emery thinks highly of the centre-half. The thinking is that Chambers will be given the opportunity to rival Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis during the preseason and could win a starting role.

It’s now the time for Chambers to complete his progression from prospective youngster to reliable and regular contributor in the first team. He does not have the time to wait for more years. It will be too late by the time he turns 25 and 26. Just ask Theo Walcott.

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Now is the time for Chambers to prove himself capable of starting week in, week out. He deserves the opportunity. The only question is now is whether he can take it. It really is do-or-die.

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