Arsenal have signed Piero Hincapie on a permanent transfer from Bayer Leverkusen. The move is more a formality than anything else, with the Gunners paying £34.5M for the Ecuadorian defender. Both clubs expected the loan to become a sale when they made the deal last summer, but it was structured as a loan with an option to buy for Profit & Sustainability reasons.
Hincapie made 39 appearances for the club in all competitions, tallying a goal and an assist in the Premier League. He split his time between
left back and LCB. That flexibility was a big part of why Mikel Arteta wanted him to begin with.
It’s easy to like Hincapie. He runs hard, gets stuck in, and wears his heart on his sleeve. He won the club Player of the Month award in both February and April. I was initially skeptical of his on-ball ability, but as he settled into the team, he looked better. He seems more comfortable overlapping than inverting, but he can handle all the ball-control and passing required of him in the system.
Hincapie rejoins (or stays, I guess) with a defense that has been the best in the Premier League on goals allowed for three seasons running. He also provides a bit of continuity at the left back spot, which has been in a bit of flux. Riccardo Calafiori, who stayed comparatively healthier this season, is often dealing with a little something or other. Myles Lewis-Skelly looks to have found a place as a midfielder, his natural position, more than as a deputy left back, which will be helped by Hincapie being part of the LB depth chart.
Adding a talented, proven 24-year old – at a decent price to boot – is a good move for Arsenal, too. The squad is by no means an old one, but the current core (Gabriel, Saliba, Rice, Ødegaard, Saka, etc.) are in their mid-to-late 20s. It’s a delicate balance to maintain. The club are in the middle of a “win now” window. Ideally, you keep that window open as long as possible without having a season like Liverpool did as defending Champions.
Part of the way to do that is by constantly refreshing the squad while not making too many changes at once. Hincapie is exactly that and an excellent piece of roster construction. He’s a familiar face that won’t cause any continuity issues, is ready to contribute now (and we know he can), and shouldn’t cause any dips in quality getting acclimated to the team and the PL.
Plus, we’ve all seen his bum. As Ben White will never let us forget.
