Arsenal went into the summer transfer window with a new centre-back on their agenda.
The Gunners have the best defence in the Premier League, while two of the best centre halves in Europe are also available at Mikel Arteta’s disposal.
But, both William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes suffered significant injuries last season, and although that didn’t hurt Arsenal too much, better backup options were a necessity.
Arsenal have signed Cristhian Mosquera now, but before the Spaniard became a concrete option, the Gunners wanted one of two rival Premier League players.
What Arsenal told Marc Guehi and Dean Huijsen before signing Cristhian Mosquera
Arsenal have explored multiple defenders in this window.
Arteta has very specific requirements from his centre-backs, and not everyone available on the market fits the bill.
Mosquera is a fantastic signing for Arsenal, but before the North Londoners made their move to sign him from Valencia, they spoke to two Premier League defenders.
Dean Huijsen, who joined Real Madrid, and Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace were on Arsenal’s wish list, and the Telegraph have revealed that Arsenal ‘made it clear to both players that they would strongly consider spending what was necessary to sign them’.
However, the two centre-backs were never close to signing for the Gunners because they want to play every week and be leaders of their teams.
With Saliba and Gabriel present at Arsenal, neither Huijsen nor Guehi was going to come in and sit on the bench more often than not.
That is why Mosquera made much more sense. He may not be as accomplished as Guehi, but he is still a very good player with great potential.
Arsenal fans should be very excited about Cristhian Mosquera
Mosquera is not a big name like Guehi or Huijsen, but he is a player with immense potential.
The 21-year-old has been hailed as one of the best young defenders in Spain, and many in the game feel he is already ready to become a star.
At Arsenal, Mosquera will get all the time in the world to develop, and working with Saliba and Gabriel will make him significantly better.
We are really excited about Mosquera. He is the better fit for Arsenal.
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