After starting off their Championship campaign on Saturday, Wrexham are looking to dip into the transfer market for a new defender.
The Red Dragons are reportedly interested in signing former Arsenal defender Calum Chambers. The 30 year old is currently captain of League One side Cardiff City and featured in their last two games.
Who is Calum Chambers?
The 30 year old defender started his career on the South Coast with Southampton. After progressing through their youth system, his impressive performances caught the eye of Arsenal who he joined in 2014.
Chambers would make 122 appearances for the Gunners winning the FA Cup twice and the Community Shield four times. The 30 year old also represented the North London side in the UEFA Champions and Europa League.
Loan spells at Middlesbrough and Fulham occurred during his time at the Emirates Stadium. Chambers left Arsenal in 2022 and joined Aston Villa, making 38 appearances in a two-and-a-half year spell.
After falling out of favour at Villa Park, the defender moved to South Wales and joined Cardiff City. His first season in the Welsh capital ended in relegation from the Championship.
Despite relegation, there is a possibility that the 30 year old could remain in the second tier this season. This is due to reports suggesting that Championship newcomers, Wrexham, are interested in signing Chambers.
What could Calum Chambers bring to Wrexham?
One of the biggest attributes that Wrexham seemingly look for when signing players is experience. This is an attribute that Chambers has in abundance.
The 30 year old has played the majority of his career in the Premier League, making over 180 appearances in the top flight for a number of clubs. He has also played at Europe’s top level having played in the Champions League and Europa League.
Another attribute that the defender would bring to North Wales is his versatility. Throughout his career Chambers has played at right-back, centre-back and defensive midfield which will come in use for Wrexham given the relentless schedule in the Championship.
The 30 year old’s ability to read the game allows him to break up opposition attacks which Wrexham would benefit from. During Cardiff’s relegation campaign, he won an average of 1.23 tackles and completed 1.33 interceptions per 90 minutes.
On top of his ability to read the game, Chambers has the capability to win 1v1 battles with opposition attackers. Wrexham would benefit from this attribute which was evident by his success in winning 4.81 duels per 90 minutes on average during the 2024-25 season.
It isn’t solely defensive benefits that the 30 year old would bring to Wrexham. Last season, the former Arsenal defender had an average of 0.77 shots on average per 90 minutes and had more shot attempts than 86% of players in a similar position according to fotmob’s player traits graphic.
Is Calum Chambers a good signing for Wrexham?
Former Cardiff City manager, Omer Riza, spoke highly of Calum Chambers during his time managing him last season:
“He’s an experienced player, and has got good ability on the ball and understands the game defensively”
It is clear that Chambers has the attributes and capability to perform and improve Wrexham’s defence and midfield. Given his experience and leadership skills, it is not surprising to see Phil Parkinson’s side linked with him.
His versatility would provide the North Wales side with the ability to be flexible with team selection and give key members of the squad a rest when needed. Alongside Conor Coady, he could provide a mentoring role to younger members of the squad such as Max Cleworth and Lewis Brunt.
Despite the positives, there are a number of factors yet to be determined that will determine whether this is a good piece of business by Wrexham. Having signed a three year contract with Cardiff last season, it is likely to cost a significant fee in order to bring Chambers to the Stōk Cae Ras.
At the age of 30, the signing of Chambers won’t be viewed as a long-term addition. With this in mind, the suitability of this signing will likely depend on the fee that Wrexham could acquire his services for.
