Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta explain why Arsenal signed Cristhian Mosquera

Mikel Arteta has given his thoughts on the signing of Cristhian Mosquera, following his five-year deal being signed with Arsenal. He and Andrea Berta were both speaking in the wake of the announcement following the Spaniard’s €15million (£13million)-plus move from La Liga

The 21-year-old defender joins a competitive group of stars in North London with his main competition for consistent game time coming in the form of one of Europe’s best, William Saliba. Mosquera is expected to add depth and competition to the back line and join the likes of Jakub Kiwior and Riccardo Calafiori in offering plenty of variety of Arteta’s options.

Sporting Director Andrea Berta told the official Arsenal website: "We’re very happy and excited to have signed a hugely talented young player in Cristhian Mosquera. We identified Cristhian as one of the strongest young defenders in European football, and he is an important signing for our future.

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"Cristhian is a versatile defender who will strengthen our squad. We cannot wait to see him playing for us. Together with everyone at the club, we warmly welcome Cristhian and his family to Arsenal."

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.

“From all of us, we welcome Cristhian and his family to the club.”

Mosquera who will wear the No.3 shirt has already flown to Singapore to join the pre-season preparations with his new teammates. While missing the match with AC Milan, he could be in line to feature against Newcastle United or Tottenham Hotspur.