Cristhian Mosquera has hit the ground running in an Arsenal shirt, impressing off the bench against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
Arsenal signed Mosquera from Valencia for £13 million in the summer to provide William Saliba with cover and competition.
The Spaniard has already proved his value in this role, replacing the Frenchman after a matter of minutes on Merseyside and producing an accomplished display.
With Saliba now potentially spending several weeks on the sidelines, Mosquera may be granted a short run in the team by Mikel Arteta.
Cristhian Mosquera says the difference between the Premier League and La Liga is ‘crazy’
Takehiro Tomiyasu was released by Arsenal this summer after struggling with injury for so long.
The Japanese international had been capable of filling in across the back four, and the Gunners needed to source a replacement who could also do this.
Andrea Berta identified Mosquera as the ideal man to fulfil this role, and swiftly negotiated an excellent deal with Valencia for the 21-year-old.
The Spain under-21 international has now made two appearances in an Arsenal shirt, and is already being dubbed one of the bargain signings of the summer.
Speaking to Spanish media outlet Cadena SER, Mosquera revealed that he’s found the pace of the Premier League ‘crazy’ in the opening few weeks of the season.
“I’m feeling pretty good, but it’s true that the game is different from La Liga,” he said.
“There’s more back and forth, it’s more direct… when you go into games, you have to prepare yourself for what’s coming, but it’s crazy.”
It certainly doesn’t seem as though he’s found it too difficult to adapt to this intensity.
Mosquera was excellent against Liverpool, dominating Hugo Ekitike for 85 minutes after being thrown into a cauldron of an atmosphere following Saliba’s injury.
Cristhian Mosquera will be used a lot at right-back this season
Mosquera replaced Jurrien Timber at right-back against Leeds, playing the final 25 minutes in that role.
While not his natural position, the youngster looked more than capable defending in wide areas, while he also pushed up high and provided overlapping runs at times.
Extremely multi-faceted, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Mosquera used at right-back frequently this season.
Ben White continues to struggle with injury, while Arteta revealed recently that the Gunners are carefully managing Timber’s workload.
Thus, there should be opportunities for Mosquera to thrive as a full-back.
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