Arsenal have announced the signing of Christian Mosquera. The 21-year-old has signed a five-year deal at the Emirates. Arsenal will pay an initial fee of £13m plus add-ons for Mosquera, who will compete with William Saliba and Gabriel at centre-back.
Image: Arsenal have signed Valencia defender Cristian Mosquera
Arsenal have completed the signing of Christian Mosquera from Valencia in a deal worth at least £13m.
Mosquera joined his new teammates in Singapore, signing a five-year contract.
The defender said: “There's a lot of hard work behind all of this.
“This is an opportunity I couldn't pass up. I'm joining a historic, huge club. When you come here with your family, you really feel the grandeur of this place.”
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The 21-year-old, who has passed a medical in London, could see his deal increased by additional fees depending on his performance.
Mosquera was entering the final year of his contract with Valencia and rejected offers of a new deal because he wanted to move to Arsenal.
Valencia's statement confirmed that Mosquera only wanted to move to Arsenal.
“This decision was taken as a result of the clear and unequivocal wishes of the player, who has made it clear that he does not wish to renew his contract with Valencia and has expressed his intention to move exclusively to Arsenal,” the Spanish club said in a statement.
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'An important signing for Arsenal's future'
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said of the signing: “Christian is just 21 and has already shown consistent performances at full-back, with considerable experience in La Liga. He is an intelligent player with good pace, capable of playing in the centre of the park or on either flank.”
“He is a young player with outstanding talent and huge potential who will fit perfectly into our team as we continue to prepare for next season.”
Gunners sporting director Andrea Berta added: “We are very pleased and excited to have signed an incredibly talented young player in Christian Mosquera. We consider Christian to be one of the strongest young defenders in European football and he is an important acquisition for our future.”
Pictured: Christian Mosquera has played more minutes than any other player aged 21 or under over the past two seasons in Europe's top leagues.
Mosquera was born in Spain to Colombian parents and joined Valencia at the age of 12, for whom he made 90 appearances and scored one goal.
He also made 11 appearances for Spain's Under-21 side, starting every game at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship this summer before they were knocked out by England in the quarter-finals.
Mosquera is a natural right-sided centre-back, but has also played on the left and is expected to provide competition to William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.
Young, physically fit and cool-headed, Mosquerra has a talent that needs to be honed.
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Sky Sports News' James Savundra looks at Christian Mosquera and compares the Spanish centre-back to Arsenal's other options.
Nick Wright from Sky Sports:
One of the best indicators of Cristian Mosquera's quality is the number of minutes he has played. Since being called up to Valencia CF as a 19-year-old in August 2023, he has started 70 of a possible 72 league games.
In arguably the most difficult position on the pitch from a tactical point of view, and with all the pressure that comes with playing for one of Spain's biggest clubs during this difficult period, the young centre-back has come under the scrutiny of two different coaches.
Sourse: skysports.com
