Arsenal have signed Southampton right-back, Calum Chambers, in a £12 million deal.
The highly-rated 19-year-old has only made 23 first team appearances for Southampton but Arsenal have seen enough to recognise his potential.
Chambers becomes the third player after Theo Walcott in 2006 and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in 2011 to swap the south coast for north London.
Sportsmail understands that manager Arsene Wenger plans to convert Chambers into a centre back in the long term.
Wenger is impressed with the defender’s versatility and it is hoped that in time he could become as influential as former captain Tony Adams.
Chambers said: “I am so happy to be signing for Arsenal. They are a team I have much admired for their playing style, and a team who have been one of the top sides in Europe for many years. I’m looking forward to joining up with my new team-mates today and beginning preparation for the season ahead.
“I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone at Southampton FC for everything they have done for me and for making this move possible.”
Wenger added: “We are very pleased that Calum has agreed to join us. The way he adapted to the Premier League last season with Southampton at a young age shows that he has tremendous quality. He has a lot of the attributes that we look for in a young player and I am sure that he will do well with us.”
The defender is with his new teammates in Austria, with keeper Wojciech Szczesny posting a welcome picture and message of himself, Chambers and Oxlade-Chamberlain on the team bus.
Chambers will fight for a first-spot with Mathieu Debuchy, who Arsenal signed from Newcastle for £10 million after Bacary Sagna joined Manchester City.
His arrival means Carl Jenkinson may now leave the Emirates with Hull and West Ham interested in him.
Chambers is another product of Southampton’s fruitful academy and has been a regular with England U19s.
He has signed for an initial £12 million – the same price Arsenal paid for Oxlade-Chamberlain – but his fee could eventually rise to £16 million in add-ons.
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s fee could rise to £15 million, while Walcott’s eventual fee was £9.1 million.
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