Arsenal have signed Spanish defender, Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia in a £16.5m transfer.
Mosquera’s move came after two breakthrough seasons for the 21-year-old who established himself as a first-team regular at Valencia, during which he scored his first senior goal in a 2-0 home victory over Leganes in La Liga in February 2025.
His performances ultimately led Arsenal to sign him for £13m plus £3.5m in add-ons as a long-term replacement for Takehiro Tomiyasu who terminated his contract in early July, following two injury-hit seasons for the 26-year-old Japanese defender.
Mosquera has signed a five-year contract until June 2030 and will wear the number 3 shirt but is keen to continue his development alongside talented teammates.
“It’s true my career has moved faster than expected and I’ve had to mature fast. Coming here is a chance to keep learning and improving. I’ll be working with great players and a top-class coaching staff, so that will help me develop personally.
“I’m a player with a lot of energy. I’m young, so I still have plenty to give. I’m fully motivated and excited. Above all, I want to improve, which will create competition within the squad. I’m really happy.”
Manager, Mikel Arteta added: “We’re delighted to welcome Cristhian to Arsenal. As a 21-year-old defender, Cristhian has already performed consistently well with significant experience in La Liga. He is an intelligent player with good pace, who can play centrally and on both sides.
“He is a young player with exciting talent and enormous potential, who will fit well into our squad as we continue to prepare for next season. Cristhian adds good quality to our squad, and we look forward to working with him and making him feel at home with us.”
Mosquera began his career with Carolinas then Hercules as part of their youth academies before he joined Valencia in 2016, where he graduated through their academy to score one goal in 90 first-team appearances since his senior debut in January 2022.
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