But former U’s loanee Leo Chambers has revealed to The West Ham Way (Extra Time) podcast that he came close to joining the club on a permanent basis – and has outlined the unusual reason why a move did not materialise.
Chambers made a positive impact at Colchester after joining them on loan from West Ham United in February 2016.
The central defender was 20 years old and inexperienced in senior football when he arrived at a U’s side struggling against relegation from League One.
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He ended up making six appearances for them, five of which were starts and was on the losing side only once in that time, no mean feat given this Colchester team lost 24 of their 46 league matches in suffering relegation to the fourth tier.
“That was a brilliant experience,” he told the podcast.
“Kevin Keen was the manager at the time. Elliot Lee and George Moncur were also there, so I knew a few boys there.
“I went there on trial to start off with and after the first training session, Kevin Keen said ‘we’ll take you in for a month’s loan and we’ll see how that goes’.”
Chambers made an immediate impression for Colchester.
He shone on his debut, a 0-0 home draw with Shrewsbury Town, helping them keep their first clean sheet for more than five months.
“Is it a surprise that our first nought last Saturday and our first win came with a lad who has come in and given us a little bit of something different?” remarked U’s boss Kevin Keen to the Gazette after the stalemate.
(Image: STEVE BRADING)
“Leo has come into the team – he’s not the biggest centre-back by any stretch of the imagination but what we’ve got is someone who’s intelligent and reads the game very well and deals with the ball fantastically."
Chambers was impressive again for Colchester a few days later in their 2-1 win at Bradford City, helping the League One strugglers claim four points from a possible six in his first two games for the club.
“My first game was a 0-0 draw at home [to Shrewsbury] and they were buzzing with it, just because I think I came in and built some sort of stability, organisation and a clean sheet,” said Chambers.
“After the Saturday game, we had a Tuesday game away at Bradford and we beat them 2-1, and they were flying high in the table at the time.
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“That was a good game as well; that was our first three points for a long time so they said at that point, they’d keep me on loan until the end of the season.
“It was a very good experience.
“I think it helped with the team that was there; Nicky Shorey and Darren Ambrose were there at the time, some experienced boys and good footballers and good lads as well.
“It was important to get some men’s football in me as well.
“A good club, Colchester.”
Chambers were released by West Ham at the end of the 2015-16 season, ending his 13-year association with the club.
(Image: STEVE BRADING)
He was offered a full-time contract by Colchester but did not sign it – for an unusual reason.
Chambers continued: “Colchester offered me a deal and it was a good deal, so it wasn’t like I was scrambling for a club.
“I went to Colchester, they’d liked what they’ve seen and they’ve offered me a very good deal.
“With that one, I was driving back and forth from Colchester to south London, every single day, to see my son.
“The gaffer didn’t really want that, because it was an hour and a half there and an hour and a half back so three hours driving, which isn’t really good on the back and the legs.
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“The chairman [Robbie Cowling] had loads of properties around Colchester and he said ‘we’ll give you a house – just move your son’s mum and your son up here, so you don’t have to do the back-and-forth journeys’.
“But I wasn’t in a relationship with my son’s mum, so that was definitely a no go. We were just co parents and living under the same roof wasn’t going to happen.
“So, I said to my agent at the time I’d like a club in south London if possible and Charlton said they’d take me in.
“But three or four days before I was meant to go to Charlton, I snapped my Achilles playing football outside with my mates and doing a bit of training.
(Image: STEVE BRADING)
“Charlton aren’t going to take on a player that they’ve got no loyalty to, because I snapped my Achilles – it was a complete rupture.”
As a result of the Achilles injury, Chambers was sidelined for a year.
He joined non-league outfit Billericay Town in 2017 but quit football in 2019 at the age of just 23, after a succession of injuries.
“Football has taught me a lot,” added the 29-year-old, who is now a football coach and mentor and also manages a courier company.
“I’m grateful for football, I’m grateful for West Ham, for the people who have been around me, the coaches, physios, scouts, anyone to do with football.
“They’ve shaped me and given me the lessons I needed to become the person I am now and the dad and role model I needed to be.”