Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta sought to calm concerns over Cristhian Mosquera's fitness after the defender was withdrawn during the club's win over Aston Villa, insisting the issue was not serious despite the player being replaced late in the match.
Mosquera had been instrumental in the buildup to Arsenal's goal, threading a pass through the Villa defense that created space for Eberechi Eze and Riccardo Calafiori to combine effectively. However, with roughly ten minutes remaining in normal time, the Spaniard signaled to the bench while clutching the back of his leg and was subsequently substituted.
His withdrawal paved the way for Ezri Konsa to make his Arsenal debut, ironically against the club he left to join the Gunners. Despite the caution shown in bringing Mosquera off, Arteta was quick to reassure supporters that there was no lasting 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."
The victory over Villa arrived just a day before the summer transfer window was set to close, and attention quickly turned to Arsenal's plans for the final hours of business. The north London club remain in the market for further attacking reinforcements, with Lyon winger Malick Fofana emerging as a name under consideration.
Arteta admitted he had deliberately stepped back from transfer discussions in the buildup to the Villa fixture, choosing instead to focus solely on preparing his squad for the match.
"We are trying to improve the squad, and until tomorrow night we're going to try to do that," he 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."
Meanwhile, several players look set to depart the Emirates Stadium before the deadline passes. Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, and Fabio Vieira are all expected to finalize exits, while young midfielder Ethan Nwaneri has reportedly drawn considerable loan interest from other clubs.
When questioned about whether Arsenal possessed sufficient depth in forward positions given these anticipated departures, Arteta was measured in his response, emphasizing that fitness across the squad remains a variable factor.
"It depends if everybody's fit or not," he explained. "We can talk about today, but that scenario might change. We knew that with Willy [Saliba] out, we had an injury in the back line. We knew we were in big trouble, so we had to do everything."
The Arsenal boss pointed to Mosquera's fitness scare as another example of the unpredictability his squad faces this season, particularly given the club's involvement across four competitions this campaign.
"And today, Mosquera, he could not continue," Arteta continued. "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."
With the transfer window closing imminently, Arsenal's business over the final hours will be watched closely, as Arteta balances the need for squad depth against the departures already lined up for several first-team players.
Based on reporting from Standard Football.