Arsenal fans will hope Mikel Arteta has learnt from Arsene Wenger’s chief mistake in signing a centre-back from LaLiga.
The Gunners are close to finalising a deal worth around £18million for Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera, talkSPORT understands.
Mosquera has rejected interest from other Premier League clubs, including Bournemouth, by agreeing personal terms with the Emirates Stadium outfit.
He will hope to break the mould of recent centre-back signings from Spain’s top-flight struggling at Arsenal.
Arteta was still a player at the club when ex-manager Arsene Wenger completed a deal for Villarreal defender Gabriel Paulista in 2015.
The Brazilian arrived at the end of the January transfer window, having been an ever-present fixture at The Yellow Submarine.
However, Wenger delivered a brutally honest assessment of Paulista by saying his lack of English could cost his side goals as he settles in.
“At the moment, he doesn’t speak a word of English, and that can cost you goals,” Wenger said.
“If you mix ‘going forwards’ with ‘going backwards’, it can cost you.
“You always have to give players time to adapt, especially in a defensive position, because you need to know your partners and need to communicate as well.
“He’s ready to go. He’ll be in the squad, certainly [against Aston Villa two days later]. He started his training yesterday and looks fit.”
Wenger proved his reluctance to risk Paulista in the games that followed, leaving him as an unused substitute for his first three Premier League matchday squads.
Wenger claimed Paulista’s lack of English could cost Arsenal goalsGetty He claimed he didn’t get his opportunities in the Premier League after returning to SpainGetty Images - GettyHe made his debut over two weeks after moving to Arsenal, playing the entirety of a 2–0 FA Cup fifth-round win over Middlesbrough.
But Paulista didn’t play a minute of the final three months later, as the Gunners routed Aston Villa 4-0 at Wembley to lift the trophy.
He ultimately made 64 appearances during his two and a half years at the club, having never really earned the trust in north London.
“With all respect to Arsenal, I have nothing to prove to them anymore,” Paulista told The Independent in 2019.
“In the Premier League, I tried to prove my worth, but I didn’t get the chances.
“When I played, it was often because of an injury to my teammates. I deserved more opportunities. I was sad because I knew I had the ability to play… But other people didn’t think so.”
Gabriel Paulista later won his appeal against his red card at Stamford BridgePaulista’s first full season at Arsenal was marked by lashing out at Diego Costa in a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea.
He missed a shock at redemption in the FA Cup final victory over the Blues in 2017 having suffered an injury days before.
Within months, Paulista returned to Spain but has since confessed that he never really learnt English during his Arsenal tenure.
Asked what language defenders spoke on the pitch, Gabriel told the Guardian: “All of them. I started playing alongside [Laurent] Koscielny or [Per] Mertesacker, and they didn’t speak Spanish or Portuguese, but they made an effort.
“Mertesacker was an incredible guy. Koscielny was a bit more reserved, but they both tried. Koscielny would be there shouting ‘derecha, derecha!’ [right, right] at me. Mertesacker would look things up in Spanish to help me.
“Even the manager spoke some Spanish to me. And there were others like Monreal, Héctor [Bellerín], [Santi] Cazorla, Alexis [Sánchez]. [Mikel] Arteta too. Mesut [Özil] also spoke a little bit of Spanish.
“And when refs came over, I could just about manage ‘sorry, sorry’,” Gabriel continued.
“It was sometimes a problem not being about to talk my way out of things, though: the problem I had with Chelsea when I was sent off…”
Mosquera has caught the eye of Arsenal this summerGetty And fortunately, he’ll have plenty of support from fellow SpaniardsGettyPaulista left Arsenal to join Valencia, ironically the same club from which the Gunners had purchased their most recent defender from LaLiga, Shkodran Mustafi, a year earlier.
It was under Arteta, the manager, that the German’s Premier League spell ended, having ripped up the final six months of his contract.
And four years later, Arteta has seen fit to give Valencia a second chance at strengthening his backline with Mosquera.
Unlike Paulista, the Spanish youth international will feel right at home straight away in London, sharing the nationality of his new manager.
He will become the third Spaniard to join the club this summer, following the arrivals of Kepa Arrizabalaga and Martin Zubimendi.
The La Roja trio are all part of the same defensive unit that already boasts No.1 goalkeeper David Raya and midfielder Mikel Merino.
As a former winger who has found his feet in defence, Mosquera is more than familiar with ‘going forwards’ and ‘going backwards’…
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