Aston Villa: 'Not many people' saw 'surprise' £2m Villa Park deal coming

Aston Villa’s acquisition of former Arsenal defender Calum Chambers in the January transfer window was ‘a bit of a surprise not many people saw coming’, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The 27-year-old was set to become a free agent in the summer and was allowed to leave the Emirates Stadium for just £2 million as a result, signing a three-and-a-half-year deal with Villa.

Chambers arrived at Arsenal with a sizeable reputation after the capital club splashed out £16 million to prise him away from his boyhood club Southampton when he was still a teenager.

“The way he adapted to the Premier League last season at a young age shows that he has tremendous quality,” said former Gunners boss Arsene Wenger upon his unveiling.

However, Chambers has failed to ever establish himself in the starting XI throughout his time with Arsenal, with his 17 Premier League starts during his maiden campaign the most he made in a single season.

Since moving to Villa Park, though, the experienced campaigner has featured from the off on three occasions, playing the full 90 minutes in the 4-0 victory over Southampton last time out.

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And Chambers’ underlying numbers indicate he has made a fast start to life in the Midlands, becoming an important player in the heart of Villa’s backline.

As per WhoScored, the 6 foot ace has won 2.8 aerial duels, while making a whopping 4.8 clearances and 0.8 blocks per league game, placing him in the top three for each metric amongst his new teammates.

Chambers’ switch to Steven Gerrard’s charges came out of the blue during January, something that rarely happens in the modern era, and O’Rourke admitted the transfer was a