Why Newcastle United should sign Calum Chambers on loan
The Sunday Mirror reports that Newcastle have turned their attention to Arsenal’s Calum Chambers on a loan deal. The Magpies made efforts to sign Rob Holding but have been unsuccessful so far. With a deal for Holding looking unlikely, the club have made Chambers their new target.
Profile
The 25-year-old English defender started his career at Southampton’s academy in 2002, spending 11 years there before finally being promoted to the first-team in 2013. In the 2013-14 season, he made a total of 25 appearances.
He made the move to Arsenal in 2014 and after impressing initially in the first season, Chambers tailed off in the second. In 2016, he was loaned out to Middlesbrough. He had a bit of an injury ridden season as he could only make 26 appearances.
The following season, he was back at Arsenal and played out the season there. He was again sent out on loan the following year, this time to Fulham. Although he managed to make 33 appearances for the side, Fulham were eventually relegated at the end of the season.
Last season, he played a reduced role due to an ACL rupture that ruled him out for around 6 months. So far, he has played over 100 games for the Gunners, scored goals and provided 7 assists (source – Transfermarkt).
Chambers has been involved a lot with the England youth sides but only managed 3 games for the senior side.
A smart move for Newcastle?
Newcastle have been on a spending spree (source – Sky Sports) this season but the club are yet to sign a defender. With Fabian Schar out with injury for a while, the club needs defensive reinforcements soon.
Chambers offers a good short-term solution in this regard. He has a lot of Premier League experience and is very versatile. He can play at both centre-back and right-back.
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Verdict
Newcastle use a 5-man defence which means they require three central defenders. Currently, they have four on their books, three if you count out Schar, who is injured. They loaned out Florian Lejeune to Alaves (source – Chronicle Live) and that has left them short in defence.
Arsenal need to get central defenders off their books, with as many as 8 players currently a part of the first-team. Chambers is highly unlikely to get many chances, especially with the additions of Gabriel and Saliba. A loan deal would give him a chance to play regular football and it works well for both clubs too.
