Calum Chambers: Who is Arsenal's £16m right-back target?

Arsenal ready to invest in youth once more with Chambers capture

Calum Chambers of Southampton wins the ball (Getty Images)

Arsenal look set to complete the surprising capture of Southampton's 19-year-old star Calum Chambers despite the right-back having only made 18 Premier League starts.

Born in 1995, Chambers was promoted from the Saints' academy in 2012 after impressing for the club's youth side.

Immediately featuring for the England under-17s side, making six appearances and scoring three goals, Chambers made his Southampton debut during the 4-1 League Cup victory over Stevenage in August.

A year later, after making a name for himself in the reserves, the Saints hierarchy wasted no time in getting the youngster signed up to a four-year contract at St. Mary's.

Earning his Premier League debut against West Bromwich Albion on the opening day of the following season, a 1-0 win at the Hawthorns, it wasn't long until he was a regular member of Mauricio Pochettino's side.

Going on to make 23 appearances, eighteen of them top flight starts, Chambers attracted the interest of Arsenal and Manchester United.

Theo Walcott joined Arsenal from Southampton in 2006 (Getty Images)

The latter of the two Premier League giants, now managed by Louis van Gaal opted to sign Luke Shaw for £30m instead while Arsene Wenger looks set to secure Chambers' signature.

Mathieu Debuchy is likely to hold down a first-team birth in the short-term but the 19-year-old will fancy his chances of deposing the Frenchman in the near future.

The Gunners, of course, have a decent track record of turning Southampton products into stars of the international game with both Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain now in England manager Roy Hodgson's plans.

While some may bulk at the £11m fee, Chambers does indeed represent a gamble for Wenger. The 64-year-old FA Cup winning manager, however, has previous.