Sundaymail Editor
England international Calum Chambers says it was a ‘no-brainer’ to join ‘massive club’ Aston Villa on a permanent transfer from Arsenal.
Villa announced the surprise signing of Chambers on Thursday evening, with the 27-year-old signing a three-and-a-half-year deal in Birmingham.
Chambers made 122 appearances for Arsenal after Arsene Wenger signed the defender from Southampton in 2014. He also has three caps for England.
He is Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard’s third signing of the January transfer window following the arrivals of Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona and Lucas Digne from Everton.
‘It’s a massive club and they’re in a great moment at this moment in time,’ Chambers told VillaTV.
‘It’s a very exciting place to be and everyone can see that from the outside. Things are happening here and it’s definitely moving in the right direction.
‘For me, it was a no-brainer to join a great club. It was the right thing for me to do.’
While Chambers made more than 100 appearances for Gunners, he only featured in five games this season and was out of contract in the summer.
Aston Villa’s new signing added: ‘It’s a great club, it’s a massive club. I’ve played at Villa Park a few times and it’s great stadium with a great set of fans.
‘The manager did very well at Rangers. He’s a young, exciting manager and I can’t wait to work with him.
‘It’s a great stage to be joining the club at. The club’s building momentum and it’s an exciting time to be here.
‘You can really feel that being in and around the building. You can feel the energy around the place. I feel like I’ve joined at a great time and I can’t wait to get started and give it my all.’
Aston Villa beat Everton 1-0 before the winter break to climb to 11th in the Premier League. Arsenal are currently 10 points ahead of Villa, sitting sixth.
Tinaye Agere
Online Reporter