Arsenal’s decision to sell Calum Chambers was arguably the biggest factor in the Gunners’ failure to achieve a top-four finish. This is epitomised by the injuries Arsenal have had in the back end of the season.
Edu allowed Chambers to leave the club to join Aston Villa on a free transfer in the January transfer window, which seemed to make little sense. The Gunners were already short in numbers in defence and Arsenal did not receive a transfer fee for the Englishman meaning a deal had no benefit for Arsenal.
Due to Takehiro Tomiyasu’s injury problems, it has also meant Arsenal have had issues in the full-back positions. Arsenal’s lack of defensive quality to cover the defence has cost Mikel Arteta’s side a place in the Champions League, and having Chambers in the squad would have certainly boosted the Gunners’ chances.
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Despite the excellent acquisition of Tomiyasu from Bologna in a bargain £19.8m deal, Arteta’s side still requires another right-back in the squad. The sale of Calum Chambers means that Tomiyasu has been left with little competition for his spot.
Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes succumbed to injuries during the most crucial point in the season. Rob Holding’s red card against Tottenham meant that despite both White and Gabriel being unfit, they still had to start in Arsenal’s crunch top-four finish fixture against Newcastle, where inevitably the defence became unstuck.
Chambers would have been a crucial pawn for Arteta in the final stretch of games, especially when looking at the terrible form of Cedric Soares. The Portuguese international was tasked with replacing Tomiyasu on the right-hand side, and immediately Arsenal looked defensively weak when he was bought into the starting XI.
The team’s defensive vulnerability was epitomised by three defeats in a row against Crystal Palace, Brighton, and Southampton. This is unacceptable when chasing a place to be in Europe’s elite competition.
Arsenal left the January transfer window with three recognized centre-backs and a backup full-back who would struggle to start for most teams in the Premier League in Cedric. Keeping Chambers until the end of the season, and then losing him on a free transfer in the summer seemed like a no-brainer.
Chambers isn’t the greatest of defenders, but his versatility would have proven pivotal in Arsenal’s final stretch of the season when taking into consideration all the injuries the squad had suffered. If you are going to pinpoint the major mistakes in Arsenal’s hunt for a top-four finish, then the club’s decision to sell Chambers certainly stakes its claim as one of the biggest reasons.
