A Southampton academy graduate that left the club a decade ago is now set for a move that represents a real fall from grace.
Southampton‘s academy is renowned for being a fruitful production line of talent, with the likes of Matt Le Tissier, Alan Shearer and Gareth Bale all notable graduates.
Whilst it has been a while since a really elite level player has come through the Southampton ranks, Luke Shaw and James Ward-Prowse are two examples of players that have forged very decent careers after starting out at Staplewood.
It is a player that broke through around the same time as those two players who is now set for a Championship move, having left the Saints for Champions League football as a 19-year-old.
Calum Chambers ‘close’ to Cardiff City move
That player is Calum Chambers, who left Southampton to sign for Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal for £16 million in 2014.
Having made just 25 appearances for the Saints, Chambers impressed enough to convince the Gunners they needed to act to secure the teenager’s services.
However, ten years later and Chambers is set to move to the Championship still just 29 and having made just one Premier League start for Aston Villa last season.
That is according to Wales Online Cardiff City correspondent Glen Williams, who posted on ‘X’: ‘Cardiff close to signing Calum Chambers from Villa.
Almost 200 Premier League apps over last decade. Medical booked in. Progressed quickly this week but player they’ve liked for a while’.
Chambers career one of unfulfilled potential following Southampton exit
When Chambers swapped Southampton for North London in 2014 he looked destined for the top.
Remarkably, though, all three of Chambers’ England caps came in 2014 and he has not been involved since.
Able to play centre-back, right-back and defensive midfield, Chambers should have been a real asset for Arsenal but it did not work out that way.
Injuries played their part, but after just 74 Premier League appearances in seven-and-a-half years, Chambers moved to Villa for free in January 2022.
Never relied on by Unai Emery, Chambers looks set to finally find a home in the Championship where he can play regular football but it is difficult not to consider his career one of unfulfilled potential.