Arsene Wenger has spoken about Calum Chambers’ new Arsenal deal and explained why it was so important to tie the 22-year-old down.

Wenger is glad that Arsenal have tied Chambers down to a new deal as he believes centre-backs blossom at the age of 24, which means that the former Southampton defender’s best years are still in front of him.

https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/918388773485912064

Chambers was rumoured to be pushing for move away from north London this summer after completing a successful season-long loan spell at Middlesbrough last term. While there, he made 26 appearances and got a taste of what it’s like to play week in, week out.

The 22-year-old was linked with the likes of Leicester, Crystal Palace, Newcastle and Everton. However, after the Gunners sold Gabriel to Valencia, Chambers presumably saw his opportunity to get regular game time and agreed to stay.

Chambers is currently out with a hip injury he suffered during Arsenal’s 1-0 League Cup win over Doncaster Rovers. It’s uncertain when he’ll return exactly but with Shkodran Mustafi out for four to six weeks and Laurent Koscielny’s Achilles giving him trouble again, we need the England u21 international back as soon as possible.

At the moment, Rob Holding, Per Mertesacker and our Lord and Saviour Nacho Monreal are the only possible centre-backs available for the Watford match on Saturday evening.