After four arrivals in as many weeks, Arsenal continued their summer spending spree with the signing of Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera. But who is the Spaniard, what will he bring to the side and why is he costing (up to) £16 million?
Phil Costa reports.
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Cristhian Mosquera wasn’t always destined to play for Valencia (or even football for that matter) because as a kid, his first love was actually basketball – until his cousin’s futsal team needed some extra players for a tournament in their hometown of Alicante. It was there where he caught the bug and began to play more regularly, before he was picked up by local side Hercules and later regional giants Los Che.
Unfortunately for this historic club, it’s been a turbulent decade under the ownership of Peter Lim, and Mosquera has seen it all. Despite two fourth place finishes in that time-frame, they have mostly sat in mid-table and even flirted with relegation; aided by some shoddy transfer business, lacklustre managerial appointments and poor management of their youth academy which has previously produced the likes of David Silva, Isco and Jordi Alba.
Typically, that kind of environment doesn’t lend itself to developing young players who need stability and security to thrive. But since the defender came into their senior squad in August 2023, he has started 70 league games out of a possible 72 – playing more minutes than any other U-21 player across Europe in that period; and nearly 1000 more minutes than his nearest competitor Guillame Restes (who is a goalkeeper).
He hasn’t just been a spare part, but someone who’s flourished with a sense of responsibility and leadership alongside younger partners following the departure of Gabriel Paulista, who he initially started alongside in defence. Maybe there’s an argument for growth coming from chaos and not order, after all.
There were whispers about Arsenal’s recently appointed sporting director Andrea Berta wanting to sign him for Atletico Madrid during his time in Spain, so this move isn’t entirely surprising, but what will have stood out to him and others within the recruitment team is his one-v-one defending. Playing primarily on the left side of defence (we’ll get to this later) alongside the taller, more measured Cesar Tarrega, Mosquera is the aggressor who goes hunting for the ball, is willing to jump out of position and capitalise on stray passes or poor first touches, to win possession back quickly, and get his team going in transition.
Your mileage may vary on this particular comparison but there’s a touch of Antonio Rudiger about him, in terms of their physical profile, their gangly legs and sheer desire to be as irritating for the opposition as possible. But he isn’t reckless, and will only go chasing if the right opportunity presents itself which is a quality young defenders often lack. Of all 195 players to attempt 50+ true tackles in LaLiga last season, Mosquera had the highest success rate (76.7%) which not only highlights his conviction and strength in duels, but an impressive sense of timing as well to judge situations with a clear head and avoid charging in full-blooded.
His defensive fundamentals are strong and you can see the confidence he emits when isolated. He backs himself, and there’s a real feeling of you’re not getting past me – which then filters into the opposition when facing him. His technique feels quite boxer-like when he engages people, in that he lowers his stance, hunches forward and bounces on his toes to ensure he can spring at any moment.
He does go to ground occasionally which may trigger nightmares memories about another defender signed from Valencia, but Mosquera usually saves those challenges for safer areas where consequences might not be so heavy, as opposed to central areas or even inside the penalty box where they will cost you points. Even then, his style is much cleaner, where he’ll look to wrap a leg around the ball instead of lunging in two-footed.
Another encouraging quality for Arteta is that he’s equally comfortable being the sweeper, using his impressive recovery speed and long strides to eat up big spaces. The 21-year-old was imperious against both Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr during Valencia’s shock 2-1 win at the Bernabeu in April, marshaling both players expertly but also matching them stride for stride when transitions arose.
So what’s he like in possession? We’ve been spoiled as a fanbase to have someone as effortlessly brilliant as William Saliba building play from deep, who crushes almost every passing metric with a silk robe on, and a pipe in his mouth – but that has warped our brains because almost unrealistic standards have been set.
Mosquera is comfortable on the ball and his numbers stand up well, although I would like to see some more adventure on occasion. The 21-year-old is safe, steady and will often play short passes to those closest to him (usually a full back or defensive midfielder) before making himself available again. His pass completion rate was 91.2% last season – higher than any other teammate – which deserves credit considering he was playing on the left side of defence and needed to use his weaker foot a lot; a challenge he soon welcomed.
He also averaged more touches per game, more passes per game and played a higher percentage of forward passes last term than the previous campaign. But it’s a relatively low bar to clear, because per Opta data, he ranked 11th in La Liga for total passes attempted (2,048) but just 76 of them (3.8%) of them ranked as progressive. Can he add some more varied passing into his repertoire? A punch through the lines, a fade out wide, a dink over the top – absolutely. Although there is hope, because I didn’t think much of Gabriel’s passing when he first joined and now he is more than capable; maybe it’s something that needs time.
His carrying numbers should offer more cause for excitement, because only six defenders across the top flight recorded more ball carries (503) than him last season – all of whom played for more possession-dominant sides. That’s just another method of progression; only slightly different to what we typically think about.
However, something worth keeping an eye on is his aerial ability which sticks out like a sore thumb. For someone so tall and athletic, the contrast between his ground duel success rate (70.7%) and his aerial duel success rates (45.2%) is stark, with Premier League players needing no second invitation to take advantage of someone they consider weak in crowded penalty areas.
It’s a really strange quirk in his game with no obvious explanation; is it an issue of technique, positioning or timing? Maybe Mosquera just doesn’t like to head the ball? Spanish football is definitely more technical, more “ball on the ground” than others, but this is something that will have to improve despite now having a goalkeeper behind him who can pluck balls out of the sky and another centre back partner who heads them away for fun.
Arsenal are effectively killing two birds with one signing. Not only are they replacing Takehiro Tomiyasu with a young, versatile defender, but protecting the hamstrings of Saliba and Gabriel as well. Obviously if they’re fit, they will play most games and rightly so; we are lucky enough to have the best central defensive partnership in world football. But through injury and perhaps Arteta not trusting the fringes of his squad enough, both of their seasons ended with hamstring injuries – one of which required surgery.
The club pushed for Dean Huijsen earlier this summer (who profiles similarly to Mosquera), so it’s clear they had this type of signing in mind, although he would have cost three times more and taken a considerable chunk out of our budget with other areas to strengthen. You can argue Huijsen is probably the better player right now but could the club accommodate his potential and desire to play? With a full season of top flight football already under his belt, that would have been increasingly difficult unless he was presented with certain guarantees.
Mosquera joins the club in that sweet spot of being young with potential to grow, while having already played a decent amount of senior football. This move will be a shock to the system for someone who has only ever known the methods and workings of one club; new league, new language, new relationships – and we’ve seen with Jakub Kiwior how that takes time to manage. But there is plenty to be excited about despite his rough edges; and our minimal outlay ensures some level of security when assessing the future.
It’s not an easy thing to improve the best defence in the league, but this signing isn’t only about bringing in someone new and exciting; but about protecting what we already have. He helps us do that in both central defensive positions and at right back too – and all for a very reasonable price. The best time to repair your roof is when the sun is shining.
