Calum Chambers said he was “really excited” to join Fulham after arriving on a season-long loan deal from Arsenal.
The 23-year-old leaves the Gunners to join the newly-promoted Premier League side where he could link up in central defence with former England Under-21 team-mate Alfie Mawson.
Chambers told fulhamfc.com: “I watched a lot of Fulham last season, I really like the way they play football, there’s a good manager, it’s a great club, so I’m really excited for the season ahead.
“Everyone can see that Fulham’s a club that likes to play football, play football from the back, through the lines. That’s the style of football I like as well, so I think it fits me and suits the way I play.”
Fulham, managed by Slavisa Jokanovic, have been active in the transfer market since they secured a Premier League return via the play-offs, bringing in Mawson from Swansea plus Jean Michael Seri, Maxime Le Marchand, Fabri and Andre Schurrle.
Mawson and Chambers paired up for England at the European Under-21 Championships in 2017, while the move to Craven Cottage could also re-ignite a senior England career for Chambers.
Chambers won three England caps in the space of two months in 2014 but has been out of the international picture during Gareth Southgate’s time as manager.
Southgate knows all about Chambers, however, from his time as England Under-21 boss.
Fulham director of football operations Tony Khan added: “Calum is a versatile defender with Premier League experience, and the combination of his strong data profile and the positive reports from our scouting department confirm that he’s a tremendous talent.”
On 28 July 2014, it was announced that he had signed for Arsenal on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee, rising to a potential £16 million with performance-related add-ons.
Chambers made his first appearance for Arsenal on 2 August 2014, starting in central defence in a 5–1 win against Benfica in the pre-season Emirates Cup tournament.
On 10 August, Chambers made his competitive debut for Arsenal, playing the full 90 minutes of the 2014 FA Community Shield against Premier League champions Manchester City at Wembley Stadium. Playing at centre back instead of his usual right back position to cover for Per Mertesacker, the BBC wrote on his performance against the Premier League champions that “his mature performance defied his youthful years”. On 16 August, Chambers played his first Premier League match for Arsenal in a 2–1 win against Crystal Palace.He played the first European fixture of his career three days later, a goalless draw in the first leg of Arsenal’s Champions League play-off away to Beşiktaş.
Following a strong start to the season, Chambers was nominated for the Golden Boy Award 2014, alongside international teammates Raheem Sterling, Luke Shaw and John Stones. He scored the first senior goal of his career and registered an assist on 1 November as Arsenal beat Burnley 3–0 in a Premier League home victory. He was sent off for the first time in his career on 6 December, as Arsenal lost 3–2 at Stoke City.
Chambers’ appearances in the second half of the season were limited by the emergence of Héctor Bellerín at right-back.He was not in Arsenal’s matchday squad when they won the 2015 FA Cup Final 4–0 against Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium on 30 May
Chambers began the 2016–17 Premier League in the starting lineup for Arsenal and scored in a 3–4 loss against Liverpool in the first match of the season.
On 30 August 2016, he joined fellow Premier League team Middlesbrough on a season-long loan.
Return to Arsenal.Chambers made his first appearance of the 2017–18 season in the 1–0 win over Doncaster Rovers in the EFL Cup, but was substituted at half time due to injury.
On 3 July 2018, Chambers signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal.