It's not been a smooth ride in North London for Calum Chambers since his move in 2014, an exciting teenage prospect from Southampton. Just 32 Premier League starts for Arsenal in that time tells the story. That horror show at Swansea City against Jefferson Montero, seemed to scar him for a while and he hasn't had a regular run of games since the 2014/15 season.
However, two impressive loan spells at Middlesbrough and Fulham respectively, albeit the clubs fortunes those campaigns, has boosted his confidence hugely. He was a stand-out performer and was voted Fulham's Player of the Year, receiving three-times more votes than anyone else. A centre back at Boro, central midfielder at Fulham and now right back for the Gunners, he is a man of many positions, enabling him to build up a wide skillset.
At the age of 24, Chambers has matured, bulked up and experienced a variety of fortunes in English football. When he has started this season, Arsenal have conceded just once and when he was a substitute, he made a crucial impact in their win over Aston Villa. Is this the year Calum Chambers asserts himself at the Emirates Stadium?
Chambers provides stability at the back
Unai Emery wasn't blessed with a structured defence at Arsenal, nor has it seemed to improve greatly since his arrival. One thing has been clear to see though, Chambers is a consistent performer at centre half and right back for him.
The partnership of Sokratis and David Luiz has left Arsenal fans with a nervous disposition with rash and naive individual errors costing points. In contrast, Chambers appears to signify a man of much greater stability, providing a figure of command and confidence on Matchday 1 at Newcastle United, dealing with the physical presence of Joelinton expertly.
In a move to right back, he tallied three assists in a resounding 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup and showed incredible composure to score the equaliser in a thrilling 3-2 victory over Villa in the league.
While his attacking attributes have been evident, it was his defensive attributes that were put to the test at Old Trafford, faced with the dynamic Daniel James. Taking a yellow card in the opening 15 minutes, Chambers walked a tight-rope for the rest of the evening but handled it superbly. Strong, smart and composed, Chambers still managed to pose an attacking outlet for his side with his trade-mark volleyed cross nearly working out like it did against Forest.
At a time where Arsenal need to establish a consistent back-line as long-term absentees Hector Bellerin and Rob Holding embed back into the side, with new man Kieran Tierney also eyeing a starting spot, Chambers is a player that can't be dropped at the moment; he is the defender in outstanding form Emery must give an opportunity to.
Young Guns backline a solution to Arsenal's frailties?
It's often been asked where the leaders are at Arsenal, and it remains a fair question today when analysing Emery's current group. Yet, you can see elements of captains within the fledgling stars in the club through the likes of Bellerin, Holding and Chambers himself. The possibility of a back four of this trio and former Celtic star Tierney is something worth getting excited about.
A partnership of the two English centre halves is one that could last for years whilst gaining experience from players like Luiz and Sokratis. Meanwhile, the pace and quality provided by Bellerin and Tierney down the flanks is key to an Emery team, making a balanced back-line.
With other centre halves not convincing fans as yet, it wouldn't be any surprise to see a Chambers and Holding pair be struck sooner rather than later. Good on the ball, agile and strong in the air, it could be the start of something exciting for Arsenal and a final solution to their ongoing frailties.