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Wenger: Arsenal Have Already Signed A Defensive Midfielder
It seems Arsenal have already signed a defensive midfielder with manager Arsene Wenger confirming today that he plans to play Calum Chambers in the centre of the park.
Fans have been calling out for the boss to bring in an established defensive midfielder to offer protection to the back-four after our weak center was exposed several times in the big games last season.
The likes of Sami Khedira, William Carvalho and Morgan Schneiderlin have all been strongly linked with a move to the Emirates this summer, but Arsene believes that Chambers has all the qualities to become a top defensive midfield player.
Speaking at his press conference ahead of Sunday’s Community Shield clash with Manchester City, Wenger said:
“He’s 19 years of age, he’s a young promising talent and when you’re a manager you believe in the players when you buy them,”
“I’m a great believer that we spent a lot of money for him, that’s true but in the longer term it is well spent – that is the most important thing. When a player is bought for a longer period you can never say it’s expensive. At the moment it’s expensive yes but I don’t regret it.
“He can play a major role because in what I observe he has the qualities to impose himself in this part of the team. I believe he can play in defensive midfield and that’s where I see him.” source: Arsenal.com
Chambers came through the youth ranks at Southampton playing as a central midfielder but eventually dropped to right-back and occasionally played in the center of defence.
He looked very comfortable at centre-back at the Emirates Cup last weekend and many thought this was where his long-term future lay at Arsenal, but it seems Arsene has other plans.
While I don’t doubt the bosses judgment on where Chambers should play in the long-run, I do think it would be a huge mistake for us not to bring in an established defensive midfielder this summer. We are so close to having a title-winning squad it seems an unnecessary risk to take.
Chambers may become a fine midfielder in a few years but he’s not got any top level experience in this role yet, so I think it’s vital we sign someone who is ready-made to replace Arteta and let Chambers develop his game over the next couple of years.
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