Arsenal star pleads with fans ‘to understand’ transfer: ‘I would have liked it to have been a little different’

Arsenal centre-back Cristhian Mosquera has asked Valencia supporters “to understand” why he made the move to England this summer.

The former Spain Under-21 international made the switch from Valencia to the Gunners in a deal worth an initial £13m, which could increase to £20m depending on performance-related add-ons.

There were reports before his move to Arsenal that Mosquera’s plan was to sign an extension with the La Liga side but Valencia ended up delaying their offer of a new contract.

Arsenal ended up swooping in with some criticism of the way Valencia handled a deal with the Spanish outfit releasing a statement when announcing the transfer, claiming that Mosquera had “unequivocally expressed” that he wouldn’t be signing a new deal.

When asked whether he thought people at Valencia were upset about his exit, Mosquera told Cadena Ser: “Obviously, when you leave what has been your home, you would like things to be a little different. Both the statement and the things that have come out.

“I’ll never speak ill of Valencia because I am a Valencia fan, and it is a club that has given me everything.

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“I would have liked it to have been a little different, but sometimes in football you have to look out for yourself, and there will be some who understand that and others who don’t. I’m at peace because whenever I wore the Valencia shirt, I gave it my all.”

On whether he had a message for the Valencia fans, Mosquera added: “I understand that it’s a bit complicated for them, that they want the home players to stay at home… but football is a bit like that.

“Valencia is the club that gave me the opportunity to be a footballer, and I’ll always be grateful, and to the fans too because they have always given me incredible support. I’m just another Valencia fan, but I ask them to understand.”

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Mosquera continued: “I was happy in Valencia, I was happy, and I knew that if I stayed, I would continue to be happy. But I was clear that if I ever had to leave, it wouldn’t be by leaving for free from the club that had given me everything. I wanted to make that gesture for the team.”

Commenting on Mosquera’s performance in his Premier League debut in the 1-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said: “Thank God we had Mosquera, which we put in for the first time in the Premier League. His debut, not expecting it at Anfield, and I think he was really, really good.”