Arsenal have completed their fifth signing of the summer transfer window with the acquisition of Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera.
Arsenal confirmed the signing of Mosquera on a long-term contract for a fee believed to be in the region of £15m.
Mosquera is ready to compete at Arsenal and is already eyeing a spot in Mikel Arteta’s starting XI for the upcoming campaign.
With pace and power and the ability to play out from the back, he seems like the perfect signing for what Arteta is building at the Gunners. A former player also lent a helping hand in the deal.
Speaking during his first interview with the club upon arrival, Mosquera has revealed that he spoke to former Arsenal defender Gabriel Paulista about moving to North London.
Paulista was signed by Arsene Wenger for £13m back in 2015 and played alongside Mosquera at Valencia. The Brazilian gave a glowing review of the club.
Mosquera stated: “When Gabriel Paulista and I were at Valencia, he always said Arsenal was on a different level and something magical.”
Arsenal’s new recruit also spoke with another former Gunner, Yunus Musah, who came through the Hale End academy before making the switch to Spain.
Mosquera explained: “I also played with Yunus Musah, once here in London and he said the same thing about how huge this club is.”
Speaking to Arsenal’s official website, Gunners boss Arteta has expressed his delight at securing the signature of Mosquera.
Arteta stated: “We’re delighted to welcome Cristhian to Arsenal. As a 21-year-old defender, Cristhian has already performed consistently well with significant experience in La Liga. He is an intelligent player with good pace, who can play centrally and on both sides.
“He is a young player with exciting talent and enormous potential, who will fit well into our squad as we continue to prepare for next season.
“Cristhian adds good quality to our squad, and we look forward to working with him and making him feel at home with us. From all of us, we welcome Cristhian and his family to the club.”
Mosquera is an important signing for Arsenal as he adds depth to the defensive ranks and means that the workload of William Saliba can be managed more effectively next season.
The 21-year-old will wear the number three shirt at the Gunners and could feature against Newcastle in the upcoming pre-season friendly clash.
