Arsenal are continuing their squad rebuild, and the arrival of Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia is expected to raise the bar for the club’s existing defenders.
How do you make the Premier League’s best defence even better? That’s the challenge Mikel Arteta faced heading into the summer.
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Mosquera’s Arrival Signs to Close the Quality Gap in Arsenal’s Defence
For two consecutive seasons, Arsenal have boasted the league’s top defensive record, conceding at least 15 goals fewer than any other side (63 in total).
Improving that department might not seem like a priority. But despite their defensive dominance, Arsenal have finished runners-up in each of the past two seasons—and the one before that—without lifting a single trophy. In contrast, eight other Premier League clubs have celebrated silverware during the same period.
One challenge—if it can be called that—for Arsenal’s defence has been the significant drop-off in quality between the starting centre-backs and their replacements. With William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães forming one of the best defensive pairings in world football, it’s inevitable they will start every major match when fit. But whenever either is unavailable, the team struggles due to the stark difference in ability and match sharpness of their replacements.
In 2022–23, their title hopes faded after Saliba’s injury late in the season. In 2024–25, Gabriel missed the final few months, and although Jakub Kiwior filled in admirably, Arsenal clearly lacked the Brazilian’s presence—both defensively and offensively. During the 13 Premier League and Champions League matches Gabriel missed, the team could only manage goals from corner kicks against relegated teams like Ipswich Town and Southampton, a sharp decline after scoring 11 set-piece goals across the previous 39 games.
Heading into this summer, it was evident Arsenal wouldn’t be upgrading on Saliba or Gabriel—but they could strengthen the bench. That’s where Cristhian Mosquera comes in. The highly rated 21-year-old from Valencia already has two full seasons of top-level experience and is capable of playing on either side of central defence, as well as at right-back. His versatility and maturity not only make him a long-term investment but also a key piece in Arteta’s plan to rotate his defensive core more effectively and avoid injuries that could derail their season.
Mosquera Brings Unmatched Experience for His Age to Arsenal
Cristhian Mosquera rose through Valencia’s youth system and made his senior debut in early 2022 at just 17. While his initial appearances were limited—four starts and five off the bench—he truly established himself in the 2023–24 season. Since then, he has become one of the most regularly featured young players in Europe.
Among all under-21 players across Europe’s top five leagues over the past two seasons, Mosquera leads in starts (70), appearances (73), and minutes played (6,394). In that span, he’s played 11 more league games than Désiré Doué, started 15 more than Savinho, and logged over 1,300 more minutes than Lamine Yamal—highlighting the remarkable amount of experience he already possesses for his age.
Mosquera’s Consistency, Maturity, and Versatility Make Him a Standout Young Defender
Cristhian Mosquera has already made 74 La Liga starts in his career—a rare feat for a player under 21. The last to hit that mark before turning 21 was Aymeric Laporte in April 2015. Before him, it was César Azpilicueta in 2009, and since then, only Barcelona’s Gavi has joined that elite group in February 2025. In terms of early top-flight experience, Mosquera is in impressive company.
During his breakout season, Mosquera mostly played as a right-sided centre-back in a back four, forming a solid partnership with ex-Arsenal defender Gabriel Paulista. When Atlético Madrid swooped in for Gabriel in January, it was Andrea Berta—then Atlético’s sporting director, now with Arsenal—who pushed for the move, clearly impressed by that Valencia backline.
Although Gabriel’s move to Atlético didn’t pan out and he later left for Besiktas, Berta seems to have remained impressed with Mosquera. Now at Arsenal, he’s working to bring in the other half of that once-formidable partnership.
What’s even more impressive is how Mosquera adapted after Gabriel’s departure. He seamlessly shifted to left centre-back to accommodate the less experienced César Tárrega, also playing centrally in a back three and occasionally filling in at right-back. He started 37 of 38 games last season and played the full 90 in all but one.
Remarkably, over two full seasons, Mosquera didn’t miss a single game due to injury. The only match he sat out was because of suspension—and Valencia collapsed without him, suffering a 7–1 defeat to Barcelona. While the opposition’s quality played a big role, it’s telling that 13% of Valencia’s total goals conceded for the season came in the one match Mosquera missed.
Mosquera Excels in One-on-one Defending Despite Aerial Weakness
So, what does Mosquera actually bring to the pitch?
Standing at 6-foot-2, he certainly has a commanding presence, but surprisingly, he’s not dominant in the air. In fact, he recorded one of the lowest aerial duel success rates among La Liga centre-backs last season at just 51.4%. However, where he truly shines is in one-on-one defensive situations, particularly against dribblers.
Using the metric of ‘true’ tackles—which includes successful tackles, failed attempts, and fouls—we can measure how effectively a player defends when directly challenged. The true tackle success rate reveals how often a defender cleanly wins these duels, and Mosquera’s numbers are outstanding.
Among 195 La Liga players who attempted 50 or more true tackles last season, Mosquera ranked first with a 76.7% success rate. That places him among the elite when it comes to one-on-one defending. For comparison, Arsenal’s own William Saliba posted a slightly higher figure (79.5%) in the Premier League, second only to Nikola Milenkovic of Nottingham Forest (81.0%). Clearly, Mosquera excels in the most fundamental part of defending—stopping his man.
Mosquera’s Duel Strength and Composure on the Ball Hint at Elite Potential
Mikel Arteta values defenders who are hard to beat in duels—and Mosquera certainly ticks that box.
He’s also comfortable in possession. In his first full La Liga season, he completed 88.6% of his passes, improving to 91.2% last season. Notably, he was the only player in the top 20 for pass accuracy who didn’t play for a team ranked in the top seven for possession in 2024–25—a testament to his composure even in less possession-heavy systems.
That said, he’s relatively cautious with his passing. Despite ranking 11th in La Liga for passes attempted (2,048), just 3.8% of those were considered ‘progressive’—passes that significantly advance play into attacking areas. Only three players in the top 20 attempted fewer progressive passes proportionally, and none of Mosquera’s passes created a scoring chance. Instead, his strength with the ball lies in carrying it forward. He recorded 503 total ball carries and 286 progressive carries, with only defenders from more possession-heavy teams surpassing him in both metrics.
At just 21, Mosquera isn’t the finished article. His aerial game and progressive passing still need work, and he doesn’t yet operate at the elite passing level of someone like William Saliba. But training in Arsenal’s high-calibre environment should accelerate his development.
What’s clear is Arsenal have landed a serious talent. The only lingering question is whether Mosquera is too good to remain on the bench. For the first time in years, the club’s established centre-backs may feel genuine pressure for their spots—and that competition could be exactly what takes the Premier League’s best defence to an even higher level.
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