Cristhian Mosquera had to start for Arsenal against Brentford due to William Saliba’s absence.
The Gunners have struggled with player availability this season, so much so that Mikel Arteta is yet to have a fully fit squad available for a game since the start of the campaign.
On Thursday night, Saliba was ruled out due to illness, and that gave Mosquera a rare opportunity at the back alongside Gabriel Magalhaes.
Martin Keown, who knows a thing or two about defending, was impressed with his display.
🤔 How would GRADE Cristhian Mosquera’s performance vs Brentford…
Martin Keown praises Cristhian Mosquera’s performance for Arsenal vs Brentford
Arsenal signed Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia in the summer transfer window.
Nobody had really heard of the young Spaniard at the time, but Andrea Berta used his years of experience in La Liga to sign him.
Mosquera, who was brought in for £13 million, is proving to be a phenomenal signing for Arsenal.
At just 21 years of age, he replaced arguably the best defender in the world in William Saliba and had a fantastic game at one of the most difficult away grounds in the Premier League.
Keown was very impressed by Mosquera and praised him after the game.
He said on TNT Sports: “Mosquera has come into the team last minute, Saliba’s sat at home.
“I actually thought he played really well in this game tonight. There were no ill effects from his performance. One or two others maybe not quite at the normal level.”
Arsenal signed Cristhian Mosquera for just £13m. How much is he worth today?
Cristhian Mosquera’s stats vs Brentford are so impressive
Mosquera didn’t just pass the eye test against Brentford; his stats justify all the praise he has been getting as well.
In his 90 minutes on the pitch, the Spaniard had 64 touches of the ball and completed 44 of his 47 attempted passes, maintaining an excellent 94 per cent passing accuracy.
Mosquera also registered eight clearances, five recoveries, blocked two shots and also a match-saving last-man tackle. (Sofascore)
Arsenal are disappointed not to get the three points at Brentford, but Mosquera’s performance is once again a massive positive.
It will be interesting to see if he will keep his place in the side for the game against Wigan in the FA Cup on Sunday.
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