Saturday, 20th September, 2014
Calum Chambers has saluted the way he has been welcomed into the Arsenal fold this summer, giving special mention to German defender Per Mertesacker for his guidance and advice.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger splashed out £16m to sign Chambers from Southampton and has wasted little time in throwing him into first team action.
The 19-year-old also made his Arsenal debut, featured in the Champions League and won his first senior England cap, all in the space of a few months as a Gunners player.
And Chambers has quickly settled, something he feels is down to the welcome he has received at the Emirates Stadium.
"On my first day I was pretty nervous. You’ve got a lot of big players here, big names. But I walked into the dressing room and they welcomed me straight away, which was a really nice feeling and it just relaxed me", he told the club's site.
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"The manager has been fantastic with me. He’s got a great history of bringing through players like Alex [Oxlade-Chamberlain] and Theo [Walcott], and they’ve been successful, so I’m hoping to do the same.
"I’m just going to work hard, concentrate on my football and hopefully get as far as I can."
For Chambers, special mention must go to centre-back Mertesacker, who is doing his best to impart his vast knowledge to the youngster.
"Per Mertesacker, who I get along really well with, has also been really helpful.
"He talks me through things, not just about football but off the pitch as well, like what I should focus on. So everyone really has chipped in and has given me advice."
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