Arsenal were expected to officially announce the signing of Cristhian Mosquera on Saturday, but here’s why it has been delayed
Arsenal are on the brink of confirming the signing of highly-rated Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera, with the 21-year-old having completed his medical and all necessary paperwork exchanged between the clubs. However, the official announcement is being held up by one final hurdle: a required signature from La Liga to ratify the deal, according to multiple reliable sources.
The Gunners reached an agreement with Valencia earlier this week, securing Mosquera’s services in a deal worth an initial £13 million, rising to £16.5 million with performance-related add-ons. The Spain Under-21 international has agreed personal terms on a five-year contract and was spotted at Valencia Airport on Tuesday, July 15, en route to London to undergo his medical.
Initial speculation pointed to potential medical concerns as the reason for the delay, but those issues have since been dismissed. According to Hand of Arsenal, Mosquera successfully completed his medical on Wednesday, July 16, and all documentation between Arsenal and Valencia has been finalised. The only remaining step is La Liga’s procedural sign-off, which is required to formalise transfers from Spanish clubs.
Mosquera has already bid an emotional farewell to his boyhood club, telling Marca, “Valencia is my home and it always will be. I arrived when I was 12, and now I am leaving as a grown man. [I am] a little sad, but decisions in football are like that. Now a new era begins.”
The delay was inadvertently highlighted during Arsenal’s announcement of Noni Madueke’s £52 million transfer from Chelsea on July 18, when a now-deleted Getty Images photo showed Mosquera being interviewed in an Arsenal kit, hinting at an internal mix-up ahead of the official announcement.
Despite the hold-up, Mosquera’s arrival is seen as a crucial reinforcement to Mikel Arteta’s defensive unit. Capable of playing as a centre-back or right-back, the Spaniard logged more La Liga minutes over the past two seasons (6,394) than any other player aged 21 or under across Europe’s top five leagues. With a 70.7% success rate in ground duels and 5.15 recoveries per 90 minutes, his metrics underline his defensive reliability, though his 45.2% aerial duel win rate suggests an area for growth.
Arsenal view Mosquera as an ideal understudy to William Saliba, offering cover across both central defensive positions and adding depth alongside Gabriel Magalhaes. He is expected to be integrated into the first team immediately.
Mosquera is set to become Arsenal’s fifth signing of the summer, joining Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Kepa Arrizabalaga, and Noni Madueke in what has been a busy transfer window. The Gunners are also edging closer to completing a deal for Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres, which would take their summer spending past £200 million.
Arsenal had hoped to finalise Mosquera’s move in time for him to travel with the squad on their pre-season tour to Singapore, which departs Saturday, July 19.