Will Arsenal spending continue?
So far, Gunners have already signed Kepa Alizabaraga, Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard this summer, the latter announced on Thursday.
Meanwhile, while Noni Maduke’s £52 million move appears to be approaching, Gunners continue to chase both Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyökeres.
It was clear that Mikel Arteta needed to add a lot of offensive firepower to his team, but do they have a new defender in their vision now?
Arsenal’s new centre-back pursuit
In the first half of the window, among many other clubs, as pointed out by Arsenal athletics Stuart James and Guillermo Rai, there was a real interest in signing Dean Huyssen before Spanish International chose to move to Real Madrid instead.
So despite Oliver Hopkins of Opta’s The Analyst Notes having the best duo in the Premier League, William Saliba and Gabriel, Gunners recognize that they need deeper depth in their positions.
Therefore, as Football London reported, Arsenal remained interested in signing Christian Mosquera from Valencia, and refused a new contract with Ross Murcielagos, as it added that Spanish Youth International was “eager to sign” to Gunners.
Guardian Edoaron previously reported that the “Monster” defender costs around £16 million.
How Christian Mosquera improves Arsenal
Mosquera has been with Valencia since he was 12 years old, and his senior debut was against Atletico Baleareles at the Copa del Rey in January 2022, accumulating 90 appearances for Losce’s first team, scoring his first senior goal against the Leggers in February.
He was also part of the Spanish team at the Under-21 European Championships this summer, starting three of his four matches in Slovakia, helping Larosita win Olympic Gold in Paris 12 months ago.
Analyst Spencer Mossman praised Mosquera’s “tensive tackling” and “impressive” improvements, and was impressed with his versatility when it comes to his “ball-playing” ability.
Meanwhile, Jonas Burt of the entire Football Analytics adds that young people have “outstanding soccer IQ” and “exceptional situational awareness,” so let’s assess LA La Liga statistics from last season.
Cristhian Mosquera 2024/25 The Statistics League | ||
---|---|---|
statistics | Mosque | Ranked League |
Min | 3,319 | No. 5 |
Tackle | 56 | No. 42 |
Dribbler % worked on it | 77.5% | Third |
block | 37 | No. 33 |
Intercept | 35 | 26th |
clearance | 128 | 26th |
Ball recovery | 190 | Second |
All statistics provided by fbref.com |
As the table outlines, Mosquera was generally ranked very highly against all Laliga defensive metrics last season. It was even more impressive, especially when it comes to the percentage of dribblers being tackle and ball recovery. Valencia was opposed to his campaign fight.
But let’s assess how he compares Arsenal’s first choice target with Mosquera’s compatriot – Huijsen.
Mosquera vs Huijsen 2024/25 comparison | ||
---|---|---|
Statistics (per 90) | Mosque | house |
The path that was attempted | 54.2 | 59.5 |
Pass accuracy | 91.2% | 84.2% |
The duel was fought | 5.9 | 7.7 |
Ground Duel Success | 70.5% | 51.5% |
Aerial duel success | 45.2% | 60.7% |
clearance | 3.4 | 7.3 |
Intercept | 1 | 1.9 |
touch | 66 | 76 |
All statistics courtesy of Squawka |
As the table outlines, Huijsen’s statistics are almost more impressive than Mosquera, but this is expected given that the former Bournemouth man is a full-Spanish international and one of two who just joined Real Madrid.
Nonetheless, Mosquera’s statistics remain impressive, ranking highly in pass and ground duels, ensuring he is his own exciting, high potential Spanish defender.
Therefore, it is clear that the 21-year-old will be an excellent addition to the Arsenal team, joining Madueke and Co to strengthen Arteta’s already talented rank.
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