Arteta Addresses Mosquera Injury Concerns and Transfer Plans
Mikel Arteta moved quickly to play down injury fears over Cristhian Mosquera after Arsenal’s win over Aston Villa – and then turned his attention straight to a frantic final day of the transfer window.
Mosquera, who had been central to one of Arsenal’s standout moves of the match with a sharp pass through the lines to release Eberechi Eze and Riccardo Calafiori, sparked concern when he went down clutching the back of his leg and was withdrawn with around 10 minutes of normal time left.
His exit opened the door for Ezri Konsa to make his debut against the club where he made his name, but Arteta insisted the change was precautionary rather than a sign of serious damage.
“He is fine,” Arteta said. “But he was feeling like he was about to have something. That’s why we have the bench that we have, that’s why we had to bring Ezri on.”
With that anxiety eased, the spotlight swung straight back to the market. Arsenal remain active, particularly in attack, with Lyon forward Malick Fofana among the latest names under consideration as the clock ticks down towards Deadline Day.
“We are trying to improve the squad, and until tomorrow night we’re going to try to do that,” Arteta said. “I’ve been disconnected from the world for 24 hours, because I think my energy and focus has to be on the match, and I will get back on it now.”
Squad depth under the microscope
The win over Villa again underlined the fine line Arsenal are treading with their squad numbers. Departures in forward areas have left questions over how much firepower Arteta has at his disposal across a long season, and the head coach did not hide from that reality.
Asked if he felt Arsenal already had enough options in attack, he pushed the issue back onto one key variable: fitness.
“It depends if everybody’s fit or not,” he replied. “We can talk about today, but that scenario might change.”
Arteta pointed to recent defensive concerns as a warning. An injury to Willy Saliba had already stretched his back line, and Mosquera’s scare only reinforced the risk of going light.
“We knew that with Willy out, we had an injury in the back line. We knew we were in big trouble, so we had to do everything. And today, Mosquera, he could not continue. So we know that the depth has to be really big when you’re fighting for four competitions, in the manner that we play as well. So we’re going to try to do that.”
Arsenal left the pitch with three points, Mosquera declared “fine” and a debut for Konsa in the books. The next test arrives not on the grass, but in the final hours of the window, where Arteta’s demand for “really big” depth will be measured against what Arsenal manage to get over the line.
