Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Kepa, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori - Getty
Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Kepa, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori - Getty
Arsenal title defence has taken an uncomfortable shape at the back.
William Saliba suffered a back injury during France’s World Cup semi-final against Spain, with specialist assessments ruling out surgery but confirming an extended absence.
Saliba’s absence alone would test any backline. Ben White then aggravated matters further, forced off at half-time at Sunderland with a groin problem.
Arteta said ahead of the Brighton trip that White was “all good,” yet the defender did not make the squad, leaving Rice and Zubimendi to share right-back duties after Jurrien Timber went off in the second half.
Timber had played only once for Arsenal since suffering a groin injury against Everton in March, a cameo off the bench in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain in May.
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That return proved short-lived. He missed the World Cup with the Netherlands following a further setback and had not featured at club level at all this season until making the bench at Sunderland, before starting the Brighton trip, his first start since mid-March.
It is against that backdrop that news from Spain carries extra weight.
Footage posted on X by El Partit de la Una, the Valencian sports programme that covers the city’s football scene closely, showed Cristhian Mosquera working at Valencia’s Paterna training facility during the international break.
🚨 Imatge @Elpartitdelauna.
💣 CRISTHIAN MOSQUERA, A PATERNA.
🙌 El jugador ha aprofitat la parada de seleccions per a visitar als seus ex companys.
🔥 A més, el central s’ha EXERCITAT en solitari al costat d’un readaptador del VALÈNCIA. Tot això, com a jugador de l’ARSENAL. pic.twitter.com/WDwGp8ORXf
— El partit de la una (@Elpartitdelauna) September 24, 2026
The 22-year-old has been out since being forced off in the 1-0 win over Aston Villa in August, missing Arsenal’s last five matches across all competitions including the 3-0 loss at Brighton.
He was not fit enough to make the Brighton squad, but he did travel to the Amex, arriving in his tracksuit and watching the warm-ups from the touchline, a detail that typically signals a player is not far off.
The Leeds home fixture on 10 October has been identified as a realistic return target, and the three-week international break gives him a proper window to recover without being rushed.
Cristhian Mosquera joined from Valencia in July 2025 for an initial fee of £13 million, rising to around £17 million in add-ons after making 90 appearances in all competitions for the Spanish club.
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He started 37 of Valencia’s 38 league matches in his final season, a record of availability and consistency that persuaded sporting director Andrea Berta he was among Europe’s strongest young defenders.
His route to north London was built at Paterna. Born to Colombian parents in Alicante, Mosquera joined Valencia’s academy at 12, progressing through the youth ranks before making his first-team debut in the Copa del Rey as a 17-year-old in January 2022.
He knows every corner of that training ground, having lived in the Valencia academy residence throughout his formative years. Returning there to recover is not sentiment, it is pragmatism.
If Mosquera comes through the break fit, Arteta gets a genuine option restored and Paterna may quietly have played its part in making that happen.