Rio Ferdinand has revealed that he is a huge admirer of one specific Arsenal player who arrived in the summer.
The Gunners have enjoyed a spectacular start to the new season, winning eleven of their first 13 matches across all competitions.
They sit four points clear at the top of the Premier League table, while they’ve won all three of their Champions League matches and are through to the fourth round of the League Cup.
This exceptional form has clearly been made possible by Andrea Berta’s £250 million summer spending spree, which saw the Italian sporting director bring eight new recruits to the Emirates.
Rio Ferdinand says he loves ‘really good’ Cristhian Mosquera
Arsenal signed Cristhian Mosquera for just £13 million during the summer.
Arriving to provide William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes with cover and competition, the Spaniard has so far fulfilled this role exceptionally.
Replacing Saliba away at Anfield after the Frenchman was forced off with an injury, Mosquera has been outstanding every time he’s set foot on the pitch in an Arsenal shirt.
That said, he’s still been limited to just two starts in the Premier League, and tougher tests could be ahead if the Gunners have to rely on him over a protracted period.
Rio Ferdinand certainly isn’t worried about the 21-year-old, revealing on his YouTube channel that he loves the ‘assured’ Mosquera.
“The young centre-back they got from, I think it was Valencia,” Ferdinand said.
“Every time he’s come on, he’s looked assured. He’s looked really good. Yeah, I love him. I love him.
“And that’s what I’m saying. You’ve now got three centre-backs who you can call upon at any point and go right, ‘you’ve obviously the two best, but Mosquera is going to come in’, and it’s like, I’m not worried about him at all.
“Doesn’t worry me. Doesn’t concern me that he has to come in. Cost £13 million by the way. Great recruitment.”
Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie need to start forming a partnership
Arsenal also signed Piero Hincapie in the summer.
While the Ecuadorian will be used at left-back from time to time, it would appear that he’s also likely to be seen as the deputy to Gabriel.
Riccardo Calafiori has cemented himself as the first-choice left-back this season, meaning he’s unlikely to be moved into a centre-back role any time soon.
Thus, Mosquera and Hincapie will form the Gunners’ back-up centre-back partnership, and the two players need to be fielded together sooner rather than later, so that they can start building a relationship.
Arsenal host Brighton on Wednesday night in the League Cup, and this should present Arteta with the perfect opportunity to deploy the duo next to each other for the first time.
This partnership will likely fill in for Saliba and Gabriel in certain matches over the next few years, so it’s time to blood it in a competitive fixture.
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