Arteta has got his manplaceholder image
Arteta has got his man | Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal are said to be close to wrapping up a deal for a defender in the coming days.
Arsenal are now set to wrap up a deal for Valencia centre-back Cristhian Mosquera after weeks of negotiations. The Gunners have needed a centre-back this summer as they look to add competition and depth behind starting defenders Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba.
The Gunners have been highly effective in the summer transfer window so far, already snapping up Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Christian Norgaard, while Noni Madueke will be announced shortly. A striker is still required, but the other main position on the docket list is centre-back, and Arsenal now appear to have ticked that box.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal have a medical booked for Mosquera, a player they have been chasing over recent weeks. Romano posted on X: “Arsenal and Valencia have also exchanged documents for Cristhian Mosquera deal. €15m plus add-ons, total fee under €20m and long term deal for Mosquera. Medical booked on Wednesday.“
Mosquera confirmed his departure on Tuesday when he told local reporters while leaving a training session: “Valencia is my home and always will be. I arrived here at 12 years of age and now I am going as an adult. I am a little said because I have been here all my life, but football decisions are that way, Now a new chapter begins”
The 21-year-old defender is only under contract until the summer of 2026, which has created a scenario that has allowed Arsenal to get a deal done for a very affordable fee. It was reported earlier in the summer that Mosquera was actually keen to sign a new deal at Valencia, but the offer of a new deal never arrived.
Los Ché have been extremely poorly run over the last decade or so, and they have regularly lost top players by not taking care of transfer business, including notably losing fan favourite Dani Parejo to local rivals Villarreal.
Mosquera racked up 82 league appearances for Valencia, and he is still only 21 years of age. The defender has had a busy summer, too, having represented Spain under-21s at the European Championships. He will now link up with Arsenal, who are headed for Singapore for the first stop on their pre-season tour.
It will be interesting to see what kind of impact Mosquera will have early in this time at the Emirates Stadium, given he is not likely to be a starter, while it will also be interesting to see if Jakub Kiwior is kept around or whether Mikel Arteta feels as though he will have enough depth with Mosquera and the full-backs who can play centrally, of which there are a few.
Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber are all players Arteta prefers to use wide, but all three can play as centre-backs. That gives Arteta plenty of depth overall, and it may create a scenario where Kiwior is allowed to leave, with the Poland international seemingly unhappy with the amount of game time he has had in recent times.
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