OPINION
Calum Chambers was left out of Arsenal’s 18-man squad to face Leicester on Friday night and West Ham should take advantage by luring him to the London Stadium.
The 22-year-old was overlooked by Arsene Wenger despite the Gunners fielding a makeshift back three in Rob Holding, Sead Kolasinac and Nacho Monreal during Arsenal’s last-gasp 4-3 win against the Foxes.
The defender impressed while on loan with Middlesbrough last season, starring in their fight against Premier League relegation alongside Boro captain Ben Gibson.
He made 25 appearances for the Teesside club in England’s top flight, helping Boro keep seven clean sheets as the north-east outfit were eventually relegated back into the Championship.
Chambers continued his fine form this summer by starring in England Under-21’s European Championships, as Aidy Boothroyd’s side reached the semi-finals.
The Guardian claimed last month that Crystal Palace were edging towards a deal worth £16million to sign Chambers but that is yet to have been completed, and the Hammers must now steal the defender from the Eagles’ clutches.
West Ham have been praised for their work in the transfer window, bringing in proven Premier League performers in the likes of Pablo Zabaleta, Joe Hart, Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez.
But the Hammers were weak at the back last season and managed just 10 clean sheets during their 38 league outings, with January signing Jose Fonte criticised for his performances following his move from Southampton.
Manager Slaven Bilic is yet to bolster his options at centre-back despite Fonte’s displays, but with three weeks in the transfer window still to go, Chambers should be targeted to boost the Hammers’ chances of keeping out their Premier League opposition.
With Fonte yet to replicate the kind of displays that saw him move to West Ham in the first place, the future of James Collins is also in doubt with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2018.
Chambers must be brought to the London Stadium to provide both cover and the quality desperately needed to help the Hammers move on from their dismal 2016-17 campaign, and reach the heights that saw them finish in seventh place the season before last.