Colombia set sights on poaching Arsenal defender away from Spain | OneFootball

Cristhian Mosquera has started a new chapter of his career at Arsenal, and he could soon make a change at international level too. The 21-year-old defender is currently representing Spain, but in the coming months, he could switch his allegiance.

Mosquera, who was born in Alicante, has represented Spain at U15, U16, U18, U19, U21 and U23 level, and he has his sights set on a call-up to the senior squad in the lead-up to next summer’s World Cup. But if it does not come, there is a chance that he never represents La Roja.

According to Diario AS, the Colombian Football Federation are hoping to convince Mosquera to switch his allegiance to the country of his parents, and in order to do so, they have promised him a place in their squad for the 2026 World Cup.

Image via Tullio Puglia – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images

Back in 2023, the Colombian FA also tried to convince Mosquera to move away from representing Spain, but on that occasion, he was convinced to stay in the Spanish fold. He is valued very highly by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), as proven by the fact that he is captain of Spain’s U21 side, but there is more chance that he switches his allegiance on this occasion, given that a World Cup appearance is on the line.

Mosquera is far down the La Roja pecking order

As things stand, Mosquera will almost certainly miss out on La Roja’s squad for the 2026 World Cup, with head coach Luis de la Fuente favouring the likes of Dean Huijsen, Robin Le Normand, Pau Cubarsi, Dani Vivian and Aymeric Laporte – and among those, Huijsen and Cubarsi are both younger than the Arsenal defender.

It remains to be seen whether the pressure of losing Mosquera leads the RFEF to expediting a call-up to the Spain senior squad in the coming months, but if not, there could be a strong chance for Colombia to get their man.