Cristhian Mosquera is set to make his full Arsenal debut during Saturday’s Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest at the Emirates Stadium.
The Spaniard signed for the Gunners from Valencia for an initial £13 million in July, and he has already made a couple of appearances off the bench.
Mosquera came on as a right-back in the 5-0 league rout of Leeds United, but his first major test came against Liverpool at Anfield before the international break.
William Saliba picked up an ankle injury in the warm-up to the game. The Frenchman lasted just five minutes before Mosquera replaced him in central defence.
The 21-year-old had a solid outing with a pass completion rate of 92 percent. He won 80 percent of his duels contested with three recoveries and two tackles.
Barring a single lapse in the second half, the Valencia graduate had a good game for the Gunners after he was put on the firing line unexpectedly due to Saliba’s setback.
Shortly after the 1-0 defeat, manager Mikel Arteta said that Mosquera was ‘really good‘, and he could now make his full debut for the Gunners against the Tricky Trees.
Saliba will reportedly be sidelined for the next few weeks due to his ankle problem. Arteta is likely to prefer a right-footed option alongside Gabriel Magalhaes in central defence.
This should rule out Riccardo Calafiori or new signing Piero Hincapie from partnering the Brazilian. There is an option to play Ben White or Jurrien Timber alongside Gabriel.
However, we believe the manager will place his trust in Mosquera after his fine showing at Anfield. He fared brilliantly in his first big challenge and was unfazed by the occasion.
Alongside the Spaniard, we could see Eberechi Eze making his first Arsenal start ahead of Gabriel Martinelli on the left wing on the back of a good cameo at Anfield.
Stats from Sofascore.com