Arsene Wenger and Ivan Gazidis have overseen what has so far been an exemplary transfer window. With four signings already in the bag, Arsenal fans can already look forward to what will no doubt be a fantastic season. Although Wenger has said he is still looking to add to his squad for our 2014/15 campaign, I have decided to analyse and grade each of the club’s four signings so far. Each of our new stars will be given a mark out of ten which will take into account the player’s ability, potential, price and whether or not better players were available in their positions this summer. Enjoy:
1 – Calum Chambers
The first player on my list is the exciting and youthful defender, Calum Chambers.
The 19-year-old joined the club for a fee of £16 million, which I personally think is way too much for an unproven player. I believe that if Chambers wasn’t English, we would probably have been able to negotiate a fee of £8 million or less. However, given the price that other Southampton players have been going for this summer, I think Arsene Wenger has done extremely well to avoid forking out over £20 million for the youngster.
I really like the way Chambers plays. His game is a simple one – he doesn’t try to force anything. His build-up is patient and his passing is cautious. The defensive side of his game is very good as well. Calum appears to have an excellent awareness of what is going on around him, and although he had a few communication problems in the Emirates Cup, such is expected from someone who hasn’t played very often with his new club.
In my opinion, he would do very well for Arsenal playing at centre-back or in defensive midfield. Whether or not he has the pace, flair, and creativity to play at right-back isn’t clear, but we’ll have a much better idea as to whether or not the youngster can hold his own in that position as the season progresses.
6/10