
Turkish Super Lig side Trabzonspor are eyeing a loan move for Aston Villa defender Calum Chambers, sources have revealed to Euro Football News.
The Turkish transfer window is still open, and it is suggested that Karadeniz Fırtınası, currently fourth in the hunt for a European spot in Turkey, have earmarked the 29-year-old former England defender as a target.
Chambers, who is out of favour at Villa Park, was linked with a winter move to Hull City, but the transfer window eased shut before the former Arsenal man could make a move. He rejected three Championship clubs at the end of last month, but Turkey is still an option. The window is still open there, but only until February 9th, meaning any move has to be in the next couple of days.
The major stumbling block is the player’s wages. Chambers is thought to be on around £50,000 per week at Villa Park, and a move may only happen if the Villans agree to pay part of that figure. They’re keen to reduce the wage bill with FFP regulations looming large, with the defender having been publicly made surplus to requirements.
Chambers, who penned a three-and-a-half-year deal with the club in 2022, has become something of a peripheral figure as his side mounts an unlikely title challenge. He has appeared just three times this season, twice as a starter in the Europa Conference League and once from the bench. His last Premier League outing was as a 64th-minute sub against Manchester United back in April.
Trabzonzpor does have a connection with Villa – it is believed they took their claret and blue colours from a set of Villa shirts sent to them in 1967. Since then, they’ve become a major player in Turkish football, winning the title as recently as 2022. However, they are 26 points behind joint leaders Galatasaray and Fenerbahce and are aiming to pip Besiktas to the Europa League spot.
They’re now hoping Chambers can be a part of that challenge. He came through the ranks at Southampton, signing for Arsenal after just 22 outings for an initial £16 million fee. He struggled to impose himself on Arsenal’s first team despite making an England debut against Norway in 2014; in total, he made 74 Premier League appearances for them in eight years. Loan spells with Middlesbrough, and Fulham were more productive; he won Player of the Season with the Cottagers in 2017/18 but was not signed permanently as they dropped out of the top flight.
Since his move to Villa he has appeared 25 times in the Premier League, only 11 of those being starts.
Site Opinion
Turkish interest has been reported already, but Euro Football News sources have confirmed that Trabzonspor is leading the race. They’re a major player in Turkish football, and the move would be a good one for Chambers. He’s certainly needed there – they missed out on a top-four spot last season by 12 points and are on a four-game losing streak right now, having previously been on a strong run.
At 29, this could represent a great chance for Chambers to finally get a run of matches and prove he still has a few years left in him. He clearly didn’t fancy dropping into the Championship, but top-flight football, with the potential of a European spot next season? That has to appeal to him.
All that remains is to see if Villa and Trabzonspor can add up those numbers.
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