Under-The-Radar Summer Signing Making A Big Difference For Arsenal
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 13: Cristhian Mosquera of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Nottingham Forest at Emirates Stadium on September 13, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
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There wasn’t much noise surrounding Cristhian Mosquera’s arrival over the summer. He wasn’t a big name like Eberechi Eze, Viktor Gyokeres or Martin Zubimendi. Most expected that the young defender was brought in to develop and improve in the coming seasons. However, Mosquera made an immediate impact.
He had to do it. Arsenal have needed Mosquera to hit the ground running, such is the number of injuries they have suffered at the start of the 2025/26 season. Gabriel Magalhaes missed a handful of matches while William Saliba was injured during Saturday’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 26: Cristhian Mosquera of Arsenal interacts with teammates during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium on October 26, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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Mosquera was introduced on the bench and was strong enough to get Arsenal over the line in the match, keeping the Gunners at the top of the Premier League table. It’s a role the 21-year-old has embraced, and Mosquera is making a bigger difference than most expected when he left Valencia for north London.
“I feel good at the club and in the city,” Mosquera said when asked about his summer move to Arsenal. “From the first moment (Mikel) Arteta spoke to me, I had no doubts about going to Arsenal. There is an incredible group of players. Plus, there are a lot of Spanish speakers who helped me adapt. When I signed, I knew I was going to face them (Gabriel and Saliba), two world-class stars, but that was the idea of the club: to have players competing for every position to go the as far as possible.”
A big part of Arsenal’s summer transfer strategy was to add depth to their squad. This allowed the Gunners to continue moving forward even though injuries hit them hard. Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Saliba have all been absent. In previous seasons, this would have stopped Arteta’s side in their tracks.
LONDON COLNEY, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 28: Mikel Arteta, manager of Arsenal, during a training session at Sobha Realty Training Center on October 28, 2025 in London Colney, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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But this season is a different story. Arsenal sit four points clear at the top of the Premier League table, amid growing sentiment this could be their season. Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City are all struggling to find consistent form while the Gunners are on a seven-game winning streak in all competitions.
Arteta deserves a lot of credit for the way he has reshaped the north London club in his own image. The Spaniard has faced criticism during his six years in charge, but Arsenal are now a team capable of playing a certain way regardless of the players on the pitch. Mosquera and the impact he had are proof of that.