Arsenal: Wherever, whenever, just start Calum Chambers

Arsenal have to decide what to do with Calum Chambers, but I’ll call go ahead and make this easy for them: Wherever, whenever, start the boy. End of story.

I’ve had a lot of crusades in my time here at Pain in the Arsenal. The Olivier Giroud and Granit Xhaka crusades have been the most controversial, but the longest running has been the “just start Calum Chambers” crusade.

I’ve been saying it since he arrived (maybe even before, who knows). The lad has so much talent that he can convincingly play three different positions. He’s grown and matured in the handful of years that he’s been here and literally every time he takes the pitch, I see exactly what we need from him, and from any player, really.

And then he goes away again, to another club on a loan or to the bench, and I have to stare at fluffy hair and Greek wrestling as they malign their own insecurities.

Here’s the thing, if you truly want to move forward as a club, you have to start trusting the players that want to be here, that have improved and grown with the team. You have to take chances, even though I’d hardly call Chambers a “chance” at this point.

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Going into Manchester United, some don’t want to see Chambers played at right back because of the threat of Daniel James.

I’m not scared. And neither is Calum Chambers. What, one bad match against Swansea three years ago is justification that Chambers can’t hold his own? How about three clean sheets in three starts, a team leading three assists and a goal that saved our arses against Aston Villa, what does that count as?

Fine, if you don’t want to start him at rightback, throw him into the centerback slot. What’s that, Rob Holding is back? Don’t care. Chambers is just as good and more deserving. So either start Chambers and let Holding mend or start them both. But whatever you do, and I’m saying this in my Shakira voice every time I type it: Wherever, whenever, start Calum Chambers you blasted fools.

I’ll even take him in central midfield, honestly. He plays physical, he controls the ball, he knows how to hold his position, why not?

I don’t care where you put him, but this club needs him out there. They need that mentality, they need that skill. Wherever, whenever, just start him.