Arsenal's worst fears confirmed! Mikel Arteta reveals extent of Cristhian Mosquera injury as Gunners' defensive crisis deepens

Highly-rated Spaniard Mosquera, who moved to Emirates Stadium from Valencia over the summer, picked up his unfortunate knock during a Premier League clash with Brentford on December 3. He was among those providing cover from stricken defensive colleagues.

He is now taking in a rehabilitation programme of his own, with Arsenal set to be without the commanding 21-year-old for the remainder of 2025. It is being suggested that Mosquera could be sidelined for up to eight weeks.

Arteta has not put a timescale on his recovery, but has said when asked for an update on Mosquera’s condition - having seen him land awkwardly after competing for a high ball against the Bees: “He’s going to be out for weeks, unfortunately, it’s much more than what we expected. But the player was feeling it, so he’s going to be out for weeks.”

Arsenal opted to move Dutch full-back Jurrien Timber inside alongside Ecuador international Piero Hincapie against Aston Villa, but suffered a 2-1 defeat in that contest as their lead at the top of the Premier League table was cut to just two points.

Arteta shuffled his pack again in a Champions League clash with Club Brugge. Hincapie is still being asked to provide some form of leadership at the heart of Arsenal’s back four - as a recognised centre-half - but was joined in Belgium by Danish midfielder Christian Norgaard.

They helped to keep a clean sheet in a 3-0 win over Brugge, with versatile Italian Riccardo Calafiori replacing Hincapie midway through the second half.

Arteta told reporters afterwards of the effort on show from his side: “It's a really positive evening and I think it's very difficult to win away from home in the Champions League. We've done it with a lot of absences, especially in the backline and even this morning we lost two players. I love the way the team reacted to that, collectively, individually, for example what Christian Norgaard has done just talks about how much better he makes all of us with his attitude, with his commitment in the manner that he prepares and is able to perform. So yeah, overall a really positive night.”

Looking for smarter football bets? Get expert previews, data-driven predictions & winning insights with GOAL Tips on Telegram. Join our growing community now!

Arteta was also able to hand a debut to 16-year-old academy graduate Marli Salmon - with the youngster capable of operating at centre-half or right-back. Arsenal’s head coach said of that decision: “Well, the thought was as well from yesterday, the fact that we had to play Christian as well, we had to really consider it because we were playing a really good side that had some really good results in the Champions League at home as well, but we knew that at some point we had to use him. So, he was ready, he was prepared, he can play as a centre-back or as a full-back and I'm delighted. He's so young, 16 still, and he's playing in the Champions League. So yeah, what a great night for him as well.”

Arteta added on continuing to blood home-grown stars: “Well, that's great, that's what we want. That's why we put so much work and everybody in the academy puts so much enthusiasm and work. And for a long time, you have to prepare those talents. So, thanks to them, because when we need them, they are there, they are ready to perform. So that's great.”

Arsenal may decide to stick with Norgaard when taking in a home date with rock-bottom Wolves on Saturday. They have five more fixtures - including a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash with Crystal Palace - to take them through to the end of the calendar year.