Wolves clinch signing of Mosquera

Wolves have made promising young Colombian Yerson Mosquera the club’s first summer signing, subject to a medical and work permit.

The sought after 20-year-old central defender moves to Molineux from Atletico Nacional on a five-year-deal, where he will link up with Bruno Lage’s squad next month, as preparation for the 2021/22 Premier League season get underway.

Mosquera arrives at Wolves having made his professional debut in 2020, where he quickly became a breakout star in the Colombian top-flight.

During his first full season at the Medellin-based club, the right footed centre-back helped his team to top the league standings, while playing regularly in the backline as part of Nacional’s Copa Libertadores campaign.

Read more: Expert View | Mosquera’s past and future explored

As a youth international who has recently began training with the Colombian national team, Mosquera is a big hope for the future of his country’s defence.

Wolves technical director Scott Sellars said: “We’ve been monitoring Yerson for quite a while, and there has been a lot of interest from clubs across Europe, including some of the biggest names in the Premier League. They all see his potential and quality, as do we, but we spoke to him about the pathway we have at the club, and he believes Wolves is the best fit for him.

“He’s a centre-back who’s very athletic, very aggressive, very competitive and has a great attitude to defending – he wants to defend, he wants to make tackles and headers, and has great presence in both boxes, but he’s also very good technically and very composed on the ball. 

“He’s certainly a player with a high ceiling, someone who is highly regarded in Colombia and we believe the attributes he has will fit very well into the Premier League and into our squad.

“Our new head coach Bruno has been involved in the process, has looked at the player, and together we feel Yerson has the perfect profile to come in and improve the depth of the squad.”

Read more: Talking Points | Yerson Mosquera: A breakout star

By bringing Mosquera to Molineux, Wolves have utilised new government rules which allow access to young talent outside the EU, something that would not have been possible before Brexit.

Sellars added: “There’s evidence of Colombian players who have come in and done very well in the Premier League over the last few years.

“Before Brexit, we couldn’t go into South America unless it was to buy very established players. We would’ve had to wait for a player to spend time developing at another club, and for their value to go up substantially before we could bring them in.

“But under the new rules, we can bring these talented young players into the club earlier in their careers, develop them here by giving them minutes in the first-team and have them competing with our own players, and this way increasing their market value ourselves.”

#2021Transfers