Cristhian Mosquera was the coolest man inside Anfield when William Saliba came off with an ankle injury five minutes into Arsenal’s visit to champions Liverpool in August.
“It was crazy,” says Mosquera, who replaced Saliba for only his second appearance in the English top flight. “I hadn’t played there in the Premier League before, but to come on the way I did was incredible. I felt calm.”
That calmness is something that has become increasingly apparent to Arsenal fans since the 21-year-old joined for an initial £13million (€15m) fee from La Liga side Valencia in July — a move which now looks like one of the bargains of the summer. Dominik Szoboszlai’s spectacular free-kick condemned Arsenal to a 1-0 defeat that day, but Mosquera has barely put a foot wrong since, and is now up to eight Arsenal appearances across all competitions.
In an exclusive interview with The Athletic, the Spain Under-21 international speaks about the role manager Mikel Arteta played in his arrival, Arsenal’s Champions League ambitions and why the club’s teenage midfielder Max Dowman reminds him of Barcelona star Lamine Yamal…
Mosquera was born to Colombian parents in Alicante, on Spain’s southeastern Costa Blanca. At age 12, he moved two hours’ drive away to join Valencia’s academy, and went on to become a defensive mainstay for their first team, making 90 appearances across the past four seasons.
Those performances convinced Arsenal to sign him as part of a total summer spend of more than £250m ($333m). But while there was lots of fanfare for arrivals such as Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi and Eberechi Eze, the Mosquera deal was met with comparatively little excitement — although Arteta was well aware of his quality.
“Arteta played a very important role,” Mosquera tells The Athletic at the Spanish national teams’ base in Las Rozas, on the outskirts of Madrid. “In the conversations I had, a very quick rapport was established between the coach and me. The confidence with which he spoke to me, that assurance, was what made me decide.
“Above all, he spoke to me with such confidence. He said he saw me as capable, that I was exactly the profile he needed.”
Another key figure in Mosquera’s move was Andrea Berta, Arsenal’s new sporting director. After 12 years working in Atletico Madrid’s recruitment department, the Italian joined the London club in March. The summer window was the first opportunity for him to showcase his work.
“He has done an incredible job,” Mosquera says. “You look at the players we have one by one and it’s a crazy squad. The club and the team are capable of doing great things, and that’s partly thanks to Andrea.”
Mosquera’s exit did not go down well at Valencia, the six-time Spanish champions who have struggled in recent seasons under owner Peter Lim. In their statement announcing his departure, they said it was down to “the clear and unequivocal desire expressed by the player, who has stated his wish not to renew his contract with Valencia and to join Arsenal”.
Mosquera became a defensive mainstay at Valencia (Irina R. Hipolito/Europa Press via Getty Images)
“It was a bit complicated, because when someone leaves a place where they have spent so many years, they want to take away the good things,” Mosquera says. “But the club are the ones who make the decisions about statements.
“I already said that I wasn’t going to say anything bad about the club that gave me so much, but no one can take away the ‘Valencianismo’ (support of Valencia) that I grew up with and still have.
“It helps (at Arsenal) to come from Valencia, which is such a demanding club. In recent years, they haven’t been where they should be, but everything that surrounds the club is the greatest thing there is.”
Mosquera joined an Arsenal dressing room with an increasingly Spanish flavour.
At least 10 players and coaches in the first-team setup speak Spanish as a native language, including Spain internationals Zubimendi, David Raya, Mikel Merino and Kepa Arrizabalaga, Ecuadorian defender Piero Hincapie, and Arteta’s assistants Gabriel Heinze, Miguel Molina and Inaki Cana.
“The group is very good, it’s a young group and it has helped me a lot,” says Mosquera. “David (Raya) told me to enjoy myself, to be myself, because that’s what football is all about. It brings out the best in you.”
Four of Mosquera’s eight appearances have been starts and he has been an important part of Arsenal’s impressive early-season form. They are top of the Premier League, one point clear of Liverpool, and one of six sides with two wins from two in the Champions League, following convincing 2-0 victories against Athletic Club and Olympiacos.
Arsenal’s most recent piece of major silverware was the 2019-20 FA Cup, but stats provider Opta has them as favourites to win the Champions League this season, giving Arteta’s side an 18 per cent chance of claiming the trophy for the first time in the club’s history. Mosquera certainly believes the hype.
“We look at each other in the dressing room, we see what’s around us, and there’s an atmosphere of winners that we ourselves believe in,” he says. “We know we’re capable, so why not believe in it? In recent years, things weren’t going the way people wanted, the way the players wanted, the way the club wanted. But this year, people are very happy, with that optimism that this is going to be the year.”
It helps that Arsenal have a hugely promising group of young players who have come through their Hale End academy. Mosquera was as excited as anyone about the potential shown by 15-year-old attacking midfielder Max Dowman when he joined the club’s pre-season tour to Singapore and Hong Kong.
“I don’t mean to compare, but his style and way of playing is like Lamine Yamal,” he says. “His movements are Lamine-esque.
“I didn’t have him on my radar and when I got to Singapore, he was already training and playing. When they told me he was 15, I couldn’t believe it. He really is an incredible player, and I think he’s going to be world-class.
“You see 17- and 18-year-olds like Myles (Lewis-Skelly) or Ethan (Nwaneri) and they play like they’re 30, like they’ve been playing football their whole lives. It’s incredible.”
Mosquera says Dowman’s movements are ‘Lamine Yamal-esque’ (Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Mosquera is captain of a talented Spain Under-21 side, featuring players such as Bournemouth’s former Real Madrid and Milan full-back Alex Jimenez, Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Fer Lopez and Madrid striker Gonzalo Garcia. He was also part of the under-23s squad who won Olympic gold at the Olympics last year.
The defender could still opt to represent Colombia, but has only played for Spain at youth level. He has yet to be called up to Luis de la Fuente’s senior side, where Real Madrid’s Dean Huijsen, Robin Le Normand of Atletico Madrid and Barcelona’s 18-year-old Pau Cubarsi are among the strong options at centre-back.
“When I was 14 or 15, Spain contacted me,” Mosquera says. “At that time, I don’t remember having any conversations with Colombia. For now, I’ve continued my normal process with Spain. But I’m not closing any doors on anyone. I try to carry on with my day-to-day life at my club and let the doors open when they need to open.
“My (club) team-mates ask me: ‘Who are you playing against now (in international breaks)?’ And when I tell them I’m going with the under-21s, they’re surprised. But I take it in my stride. Playing for the under-21s is also a privilege and helps me get a lot of playing time.”
At Arsenal, he is competing for a spot with two hugely established centre-backs in Saliba and Gabriel, while fellow summer signing Hincapie was a domestic treble winner with Bayer Leverkusen in 2024. Arteta’s staff have provided Mosquera with plenty of support.
“Heinze (the former Argentina, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and Real Madrid defender who is first-team coach at Arsenal) has a certain aggressiveness, that spirit that is so typical of centre-backs, and he is helping us defenders improve a lot,” he says. “On top of that, he is Argentinian, and he is helping me a lot to compete.
“Nico (Jover) too, with set pieces. In the Premier League, they are absolutely fundamental. They have more influence than in Spain. The staff are amazing and have helped me from the very beginning.”
Newcomer Mosquera has quickly become a fan favourite at Arsenal (Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
How does Mosquera view his current role with Arsenal, where he regularly has to settle for a place on the bench?
“When I made my debut for Valencia at 17, you felt like you were improving, that you wanted to play a lot more, but you had to be patient, you had to know where you were at that moment,” he says. “Those are the times you have to go through. Right now at Arsenal, I know I’m capable of playing, I’m surrounded by great players who are going to help me improve and grow. I’m playing quite a lot and I’m very happy.”
Dressing-room sources at Arsenal, who asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships, say Mosquera is adapting extremely well and emphasise his human qualities. His only misstep so far was conceding the corner against Newcastle United late last month which led to Nick Woltemade scoring the game’s opening goal — although his side’s comeback that day to win 2-1 spared his blushes, and he has established himself as something of a fan favourite.
What qualities have helped him make such an impressive start to life on and off the pitch in England?
“A bit of that calmness,” Mosquera says, referring back to that match at Anfield. “As well as being intense in the way I play, not being nervous on the pitch is one of the things which has helped me.
“I don’t think they (the fans) knew much about me. I made an impact that has made people happy and I’ve shown them I’m capable.”
