The defender was one of the earliest additions to the Bluebirds squad this summer after a decade in the Premier League
Calum Chambers has a burning ambition to get Cardiff City back into the Premier League and is ready to reset his footballing career after a “tough” couple of years at Aston Villa.
The Bluebirds signed the centre-back, 29, at the start of the summer, believing he would be a cornerstone to what they are looking to do and the direction they are hoping to go in on the field.
The move came after Chambers had spent a decade in the Premier League with Southampton, Arsenal, Middlesbrough, Fulham and Villa, meaning the opening game of the season against Sunderland was the England international’s first game out of the top flight.
But after making just 30 Premier League appearances over the last three years, Chambers was at a crossroads and knew he needed regular football and to be a vital cog in the wheel of his next project.
“It was a key one for me,” Chambers said of his decision to move to the Welsh capital. “I wanted to go somewhere and create memories at a club so I could look back and be proud of feeling a part of something.
“The timing was right for me and Cardiff. We were both going in the right direction and the conversations I had with the club, that’s what drew me to this. Our journeys were meeting at the right place and at the time. It’s exciting and I’m looking forward to it.
“I would love to have a really positive journey and go through the project with the club, that’s my mission here. I’d love to go on that journey with this club and get them back to the Premier League.
“I’d like to play as many games as I can and enjoy playing football. I have had a few years where it’s been tough. I’ve not had the opportunity to play as much as I’d like. To come here and create memories for me and Cardiff would be amazing – that’s my goal. To look back on this experience as something I’m really proud of, with a club that I’m heavily involved in.
“I want to give it everything I can. I know the level I can play at. I want to bring that level here. And let’s see where we can go. Let’s see if we can get back into the Premier League.”
Given Villa’s steady trajectory under Unai Emery, it would have been easy for Chambers to stay in the Midlands for another year, with his contract not set to expire until the summer of 2025. Sign up to our Cardiff City newsletter here.
But he made the decision to leave and, amid stiff competition for his signature, chose Cardiff. Importantly for Chambers, the manner in which he left Villa helped smooth the exit process.
The defender heaped praise on Emery and the relationship he has with the Spaniard and wishes him every success.
“The thought process was that I just wanted to play football again and I wanted to enjoy playing football again. Having conversations with Cardiff, I felt I could do that here. That’s what attracted me to this club,” he added.
“The conversations with Villa went really well. I’ve got so much respect for the manager there. He is such a good guy and an amazing manager as well. We had a really good relationship. Conversations with him were very positive and very easy, in that sense, in a situation which maybe wouldn’t be easy somewhere else.
“It was all very professional, very good and we left on great terms. I want him to succeed at the club as much as anyone. That was a nice way for me to end it with the club and with the manager as well.”
“Derby games, they are must-win games,” he said of Sunday’s Swansea clash. “They are massive. You always want to win. There is always a different feeling around the derby games wherever you are. It’s just a different mindset going into that game. We have prepared for that this week.
“What a time to play against them after the last two results which have gone against us. I can’t wait to go there and try and get a win there, I think it would be amazing for the team and for the fans.
“A lot of people have told me a lot of things (about the derby), when I first moved here and especially this week. It sounds like a great game to be involved in. I’m really excited, I love these kind of games for the fans and for us, as a group, to learn things about ourselves as a group. You’ve got an opportunity to do something special for the club in these games and it’s up to us to deliver that.”
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