Calum Chambers (Middlesbrough)
Chambers who signed from Southampton in 2014, is another player with still a lot to prove. The 21 year-old arrived as a right-back but Wenger is adamant his future was in the centre.
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The England U-21 impressed during his early days at the club. He started consistently alongside Per Mertesacker in Laurent Koscielny’s absence with some encouraging performances. This was rewarded by being named August player of the month and a place in England’s senior squad.
However, as Arsenal’s title hopes faded early, he was a part of a much criticised defence. The lack of leaders in defence being a major factor. Even the massively experienced Mertesacker, fresh from his World Cup triumph with Germany couldn’t do enough.
Chambers would definitely have benefited alongside Koscielny. Being no fault of his own, he was a boy thrown in the deep end.
The club went through a defensive crisis with both Mathieu Debuchy and Koscielny injured, which even saw Nacho Monreal play a stint at centre-back. This meant Chambers was able to play his natural right-back position, but was massively exposed for pace during a rainy November night away to Swansea.
Since then, Chambers has struggled for games in the first-team. The arrival of Gabriel pushed him further down the pecking order and rendered him as a squad player. The writing was on the wall last month, when newcomer Rob Holding was picked ahead of him against Leicester.
As mentioned, Chambers still has a lot to prove. He remains a promising talent in English football with the hopes of one day emulating the trajectory of John Stones.
His inevitable loan to newly promoted Middlesbrough means he has the chance to find rhythm. Middlesbrough are a club which can offer him exactly that.