Aston Villa have had a strong start to the 2023/24 campaign, continuing where they left off in what was a memorable season for the Villans last term.
The arrival of Unai Emery inspired many departments at Villa Park, with the Spaniard taking the squad from 16th at the point of his arrival in October 2022, to 7th and with a place in Europe under their belts.
While the former Arsenal boss has introduced a new level of ambition, there remains a subtle grey area in the squad, with some players not living up to the roles they were signed to succeed in.
With Emery only being at Villa Park for less than a year, the squad remains in transition, however, it looks likely that some individuals are already nearing the end of their story in the Midlands.
One of those unfortunate candidates happens to be Calum Chambers.
How much has Calum Chambers cost Aston Villa?
Signed in a quick snatch from Arsenal in January 2022, the Daily Mirror suggested that the fee that Villa paid for Chambers was in the region of just £2m as he neared the end of his contract with the Gunners. That appeared to be a bargain for a young defender with plenty of potential.
The Englishman had taken up a sporadic role at the Emirates and was far from being part of the plans after signing for the club in 2014 from Southampton and endeavouring on two loan spells.
Steven Gerrard opted to sign the versatile defender while he was in the process of building his ideal squad at Villa, adding the FA Cup winner to the side on a three-and-a-half-year deal with a salary of £2.6m-per-year.
Such a figure amounts to a weekly wage of £50k, meaning that since his arrival, the former Gunner has cost the Villans around £4m in wages.
Has Calum Chambers been worth it?
A year and nine months down the line, Chambers has made just 29 appearances for Villa, starting just 14 games in that period. To put the finances involved in this deal into context, the former Gunner has cost NSWE around £206k every match.
This season, the Englishman is yet to make an appearance in the Premier League either, telling of his ranking in Emery’s squad and just what his future at Villa Park may entail.
Prior to his move, the 28-year-old was criticised for some “terrible” defending by journalist Josh Bunting, with the narrative seeming to continue as he secured an average Sofascore match rating of just 6.58 last season in the league for Villa.
His poor form and lack of quality have seen the Midlands club hire additional defenders since his arrival, seeing him move further and further down the pecking order as he fails to compete with others on show in the squad.
The summer captures of Pau Torres and Clement Lenglet showcase a far higher calibre of central defender to Chambers, with his Villa career heading towards the closing stages in terms of game time and his ability to compete.
In a column for Aston Villa News, writer Daniel Feliciano branded the former Arsenal man as being “simply not good enough”, and a figure that has “offered nothing” during his time at the club. Daming words indeed.
For a cost in wages that has exceeded £4m, Chambers has rinsed NSWE since his arrival, with very little to show for the millions spent to accommodate him at the club. Indeed, he has been a rather poor addition to the squad and now seems to be a pretty terrible member of Emery's squad. It would not be a surprise if his time in the Midlands comes to an end in January.
