Aston Villa have confirmed that Calum Chambers has left the club, in a move that ultimately makes sense for both parties.
The 29-year-old joined us from Arsenal in January 2022, and established himself as an important figure in terms of adding competition and depth to the squad.
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As per the club’s statement though, Chambers has now left after making 36 appearances in a Villa shirt, while it cites that the decision was based on his desire to play more first-team football at this stage of his career.
Given Unai Emery publicly noted in January that the versatile defender was allowed to move on, it’s ultimately a smart move for all concerned as Chambers will likely land at a new club where he’ll have a more prominent role.
For Villa, although he played his part as a valuable member of the squad in adding depth and being available when needed, it’s clear that we need to raise the level within the squad if we are to consistently compete for a top-four finish in the Premier League and for major honours.
Shifting Chambers off the books in terms of his wages and hopefully getting even a nominal fee will help balance our spending and give us more flexibility to go out and continue signing reinforcements, which in turn will allow Emery to make us increasingly competitive moving forward.
It’s part of a natural process at this point if we want to reach the top level and compete with our rivals, and so while we wish Chambers all the best in the future, it’s hoped that this decision allows us to continue to move in the right direction.
Having already sold Douglas Luiz, Tim Iroegbunam and Omari Kellyman this summer, coupled with Philippe Coutinho departing on a fresh loan deal, Morgan Sanson moving on permanently and the loan spells of Nicolo Zaniolo and Clement Lenglet coming to an end, there is a real change to the look of this Villa squad now.
With further signings expected, it’s hoped that we can land Emery’s remaining priority targets to help us build on last season and become genuine contenders for trophies moving forward.
I would like to thank everyone at Aston Villa Football Club for the last few years! I wish the club all the best for the future! #UTV pic.twitter.com/sA0DKArWPM
— Calum Chambers (@CalumChambers95) July 12, 2024
