Arsenal were disappointing in their pre-season defeat to Villarreal at the Emirates on Wednesday.
The Gunners looked vulnerable in transition, while they struggled to create the volume of chances Mikel Arteta would want from his team.
Meanwhile, Viktor Gyokeres was muted on the day, finding it difficult to get into the game throughout his 63-minute spell on the pitch.
That said, there were a few positives for Arteta to take away from the encounter, including the performance of one of his newest squad members.
Adrian Clarke praises ‘really, really quick’ Cristhian Mosquera after Arsenal v Villarreal
Arsenal signed Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia for £13 million earlier this summer.
An astute pick-up, the defender is expected to play a squad role at the Emirates, providing the likes of Ben White, Jurrien Timber and William Saliba with cover.
However, on the basis of his display against Villarreal, he could forge a more prominent path to regular minutes in the upcoming season.
Introduced at half-time for White, Mosquera spent 15 minutes at right-back and impressed as he provided Bukayo Saka with an overlapping option.
Then moved to centre-back, the 21-year-old showcased some of his physical attributes, as well as his composure on the ball.
Pundit Adrian Clarke was particularly enthused by Mosquera’s pace.
“It was then up to Mosquera on the cover run, and he showed a good turn of foot to be fair,” he said on his YouTube channel.
“He’s really, really quick, but he couldn’t get there, and it was a heck of a finish from [Arnaut] Danjuma past Kepa [Arrizabalaga], absolutely no chance.”
Arsenal are reportedly very high on Mosquera, surprised by how good he’s looked in training since arriving in N5.
It’s understood that the Gunners feel the player may receive more game time than they had initially planned for him to be granted.
Cristhian Mosquera is a genuine option at right-back for Arsenal
Mosquera was clearly signed to predominantly play at centre-back and provide genuine cover for Saliba.
While it’s been mentioned that he can slot in at right-back if need be, White and Timber will expect to cover this position for the most part.
However, based on his outing against Villarreal, Mosquera is more than capable of being used as a wide defender.
Roaming forward and making runs beyond Saka to the by-line, the Spain under-21 international showed a willingness to be the extra man in the attack from full-back.
He also dealt with Alberto Moleiro expertly in the duels, locking down the right-hand side of the Gunners’ defence.
While it’s a small sample size, Mosquera has shown enough to suggest that he can reliably be used as a right-back.
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