Sol Campbell admits he has been blown away by Arsenal’s summer recruit, Cristhian Mosquera.
The £13 million the Gunners splashed on the young defender is quickly looking like the bargain of the season. The way the 21-year-old has slotted seamlessly into Arsenal’s back line, he is playing like a £50 million-plus player.
Whenever handed an opportunity, the former Valencia man has impressed. The biggest compliment? When he has played, Arsenal have not missed William Saliba.
Saliba is arguably Arsenal’s best player, yet when he picked up an injury recently, Mosquera’s performances made his absence barely noticeable.
Campbell Impressed
The young Spaniard’s brilliance has not gone unnoticed, and he has clearly won over Campbell.
“Mosquera has done really well. He’s come in a couple of times, and he’s played really, really advanced for his age,” Campbell told The Times.
“You know, he’s going to make slight mistakes here and there, but that’s normal. But he’s quick and strong, good positioning, good passer. He knows what it’s all about. He’s responsible, and also it looks like he cares about the game as well.
“He wants to produce a good performance every time he goes on the pitch. He can learn a lot from Saliba and Gabriel. And that’s what you want. You want these young players, if someone gets injured, he comes in and the level doesn’t drop. And it didn’t drop with him. So he’s nipping at the heels of the guys.”
Destined for Greatness
For Mosquera, the sky is the limit. He looks unfazed by the competition he faces in trying to break into an Arsenal defence commanded by two of the world’s best centre-backs, Gabriel Magalhaes and Saliba.
Despite limited game time, he is already making waves. According to DataMB, Mosquera wins more defensive duels per 90 minutes than any other Premier League defender.
Having played at the Bernabeu and the Camp Nou, it is clear the cannon on his chest does not weigh him down. Like a fish to water, he has adapted quickly to his surroundings and looks more than ready to play a key role in Arsenal’s title charge.
Let us know your thoughts on Mosquera in the comments.
Daniel O
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Really like what I have seen so far. We have come a long way since the days of back ups like Holding and Chambers.
Superb player. WOW
It’s so refreshing to have quality squad players. I genuinely believe that if we had a centre back of Mosquera’s quality in 2022/23,we’d have won the league. It’s a shame Saliba and Tomiyasu were injured at the same time.
With his quality performances he is building confidence and trust with his manager and his teammates. Hopefully this continues, and we can get to a point to rotate the 2 CB spots between Saliba, Gabriel, and Mosquera; no need to overplay any of them.
Transfer of the Summer in my mind, simply amazing what he has done so far, not even blinked moving into the PL, quite impressive from the young man.