Cristhian Mosquera has said he feels “the greatness” of Arsenal and deemed the opportunity to join the Premier League title hopefuls unmissable after completing a £13 million move to the Gunners from Valencia.
The 21-year-old is Arsenal’s fifth signing of the summer transfer window and has agreed a five-year contract, initially to provide cover for first-choice centre-backs Gabriel and William Saliba in 2025/26.
“I want to improve, which will create competition within the squad,” Mosquera told Arsenal’s website. “There’s been a lot of hard work behind all of this.
“It’s an opportunity that came up and I couldn’t let it pass me by. I’m joining a historic, massive club.”
Cristhian Mosquera stats
A Spain Under-21 international, Mosquera won a gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games before playing in every minute of all but one of Valencia’s league fixtures last season, contributing to his total of 90 appearances for the club and record of the most minutes by a player aged under 21 in Europe’s five major leagues since 2023/24.
That reliability will appeal to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta after Jurrien Timber missed almost the entirety of the 2023/24 campaign and was impeded by minor problems during 2024/25, a season in which Gabriel was unavailable for 17 matches and Ben White was ruled out for 27 matches, including knee surgery in November.
Arteta is thought to have had a keen interest in Dean Huijsen before the Spain international left Bournemouth for Real Madrid and wanted Crystal Palace and England’s Marc Guehi, but both would have cost considerably more and wanted to be first choices, while Mosquera only had a year left on his Valencia deal.
“Cristhian has already performed consistently well with significant experience in LaLiga,” said Arteta, while sporting director Andrea Berta called Mosquera, who is also eligible for Colombia, “one of the strongest young defenders in European football” and “an important signing for our future”.
“He is an intelligent player with good pace, who can play centrally and on both sides,” added Arteta.
Arsenal transfers 2025/26
Denmark midfielder Christian Norgaard – signed from Brentford for a fee of up to £15 million – started Arsenal’s first pre-season match on Wednesday as the side who finished a distant second to Liverpool in 2024/25 beat Milan 1-0 in Singapore.
Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi, who arrived from Real Sociedad for £60m on July 6, came on at half-time, as did Kepa Arrizabalaga, a £5m signing from Chelsea who remains the world’s most expensive goalkeeper thanks to the £72m fee the Blues paid Athletic Club for him in 2018.
Ex-Spain international Kepa made three saves during a pre-arranged shootout between Arsenal and Milan that took place after full time, with the Serie A team winning 6-5 after the spectacle went to sudden death.
Noni Madueke also joined for an initial £48m from Chelsea last week but was not involved because the England forward is being allowed extra rest time following his involvement in the 2025 Club World Cup. following.
15-year-old centre-back Marli Salmon, who has been likened to Saliba by his admirers, missed Arsenal’s final spot kick of the shootout but Arteta said he had been impressed by the academy product’s performance.
Arsenal pre season fixtures 2025/26
July 27 vs Newcastle (Singapore)
July 31 vs Spurs (Hong Kong)
August 5 vs Villarreal (H)
August 9 vs Athletic Club (H)
When does Arsenal’s 2025/26 Premier League season start?
The first round of Premier League matches in 2025/26 will be on the weekend of August 16 2025, including Arsenal’s trip to Manchester United on Sunday, August 17 at 16:30 BST.
The game against the 2024/25 Europa League finalists is being shown live in the UK on Sky Sports Premier League, Ultra and Main Event.
The last round of matches this season will all start at the same time on May 24 2026. No rounds will take place within 60 hours of each other and there will be no fixture on December 24.
How to watch Arsenal on TV: Sky Sports
Prices for Sky Sports and TNT Sports vary. Via Now TV, Sky Sports costs £14.99 for a day membership, £26 a month for a six-month membership or £34.99 a month with no contract.
Sky Sports memberships include access to all 12 live Sky Sports channels and Sky Sports+, which offers live streams and a dedicated channel.
How to watch Arsenal on TNT Sports
According to BT, TNT Sports costs £20 a month when bought with a broadband package or £30.99 a month without a contract.
Those prices include discovery+ Premium, which offers access to thousands of exclusive shows and originals.
Arsenal live streams: How to watch games online
Both broadcasters have dedicated apps allowing fans to live-stream the games: SkyGO for Sky Sports and discovery+ for TNT Sports.
Both apps are available on a vast range of devices.
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2025-07-24 22:02:45
