Following some late left-sided departures, Arsenal managed to squeeze in one more deal to make Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie their eighth summer signing. But who is the Ecuadorian, what will he bring to the side and is he worth (up to) £45 million?
Phil Costa reports.
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Arsene Wenger once spoke about the best strikers in football coming from South America, where adaptability, technical quality and fight are necessary for survival. Not only is that what allows them to thrive in their respective leagues, but the sport at its organic best – inside the cages – where referees are merely a figment of the imagination. Grazed knees, kicks to the shins and elbows, however, are very real and you learn that quickly.
But South America has produced its fair share of defenders and just like the strikers, they all seem to follow a similar blueprint of aggression, commitment and maybe a stud or three in the opposition winger’s ankles. But it’s not only about the cages. Making it professionally in parts of the world where putting food on the table is a luxury, not a necessity, lights a fire in people that doesn’t always come naturally in academies closer to home.
Piero Hincapie left his family home in Esmeraldas aged ten, moving 350km south to pursue his dream. He then made it through one of the best academies in Ecuador before moving to Argentina, and later Germany at 18 without a word of Deutsch in his vocabulary. Five years later, he leaves North Rhine-Westphalia with four trophies to his name (and as an invincible) to join Arsenal, where continuing that trend would be very well received.
It’s a common theme among recent recruits; bravery, resilience and bouncing back; qualities Mikel Arteta and the recruitment team clearly value in their search for silverware. But none of that matters if the player isn’t good enough and Hincapie is definitely good enough. In fact, he’s probably the ideal Arteta target based on what we’ve seen during his time in charge.
What makes Hincapie such an appealing option is his versatility. He can play at left centre back in a two, left centre back in a three, left back and left wing back – all to a really high level. The 23-year-old is a modern defender in that sense, able to adapt his game to suit different roles, while also possessing a good frame and level of physicality to play across the backline without being too small at centre back, or too clunky at full back. There is never a feeling of him ‘filling in’ or ‘doing a job’ elsewhere; which is a major bonus in itself.
The best way to describe Hincapie would be unashamedly South American (see above). He’s aggressive, full throttle, front-footed and there aren’t any other settings on his dial – which is part of his charm. There isn’t much subtlety in his game but his defensive fundamentals are excellent, and his ability to tread the line has improved significantly after receiving 13 yellow cards and three red cards in his debut season. Keeping that kind of record at Arsenal would have seen him tried for war crimes by Christmas.
He averaged more tackles per game (1.8) than any other Leverkusen teammate last season, and maintained an impressive true-tackle win rate (65.9%) which ranked him tenth across all other Bundesliga defenders with over 2,000 minutes played. The 23-year-old has a great nose for danger and one of his standout qualities is being able to cover across (sweep) from left to right, if a defensive partner is caught out of position or isolated against two or more forwards. His strong recovery pace ensures he can make up those distances, and then it’s all about the timing of your challenges in those moments – which is usually great.
It almost goes against his nature but the Ecuadorian is a fantastic one-v-one defender, and a patient box defender too – with a low, crouched stance that almost stalks the opposition, allowing him to take quick steps, stab out a leg or change direction quickly. There is a relentlessness to his game that will not accept being beaten, and should he lose an individual battle or duel – you can certainly expect a second or third attempt to bite back. He will make fouls, but those tend to come in more advanced areas where your risk/reward sensors are scrambling; in search of high turnovers or transition moments.
Some parts of the fanbase have wanted a more traditional, overlapping style full back for some time and Hincapie isn’t really that, but he’s not useless in the final third either. Under Xabi Alonso, Leverkusen had Alex Grimaldo as their wing back who is more natural in that role, but Hincapié played there quite often and is more capable further forward than people realise. He likes to hold the width and will happily run beyond others should opportunities present themselves, where he can burst past defenders and send crosses or cutbacks into the middle.
Unsurprisingly, Leverkusen were very possession-heavy under Alonso and Hincapie was tasked with trying to find a way through the opposition with passes and forward carries. He completed over 100 passes in three separate Bundesliga games last season, while only ten players – not just defenders – produced more line-breaking passes. He also made 11 key passes last season, more than any other U-23 centre back across Europe’s top five leagues and four more than his nearest rival Zeno Debast (7).
His innate sense of punch and proactivity really comes through in his ball carrying as well, because Hincapie will not hesitate to force himself into gaps. He loves driving through the centre of the pitch, he can take on defenders in wide areas and will even gamble through half spaces where losing the ball may be costly. As highlighted by Thom Harris in The Athletic, Almost a quarter (22.1%) of his carries last season were classed as progressive, the third-highest rate of any Bundesliga defender.
So where does he fit at Arsenal? Similarly to Eberechi Eze, Hincapie will play because he’s good and Arsenal need good players, but my feeling is that we’ll see him at left back more than anything. If Gabriel isn’t available for whatever reason or we’re rotating, Cristhian Mosquera and Riccardo Calafiori will be next in line. Hincapié feels like a solution for something different at left back, away from Myles Lewis-Skelly or Calafiori who both play the role in different ways – one more controlling and the other more forward thinking. He does a bit of everything which offers Arteta added variety that might be lacking elsewhere.
We’re currently battling a very strange feeling as Arsenal fans right now: strength in depth. That’s not how we do things around here. Why have (at least) two good options for every position when you can pin your hopes on one player staying fit and in-form across 38 games? But Arteta has clearly gone full Michael Jordan and took last season’s injury crisis personally; and is making sure that nonsense doesn’t happen again.
Just to put our defensive depth into context; we’ve got three players for every position across the backline – which could even stretch to four in case of emergency.
RB: Ben White, Jurrien Timber, Cristhian Mosquera
CB: William Saliba, Cristhian Mosquera, Ben White
CB: Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori, Cristhian Mosquera, Piero Hincapie
LB: Riccardo Calafiori, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Piero Hincapié
Some might consider that overkill but it’s imperative that you are prepared for what modern football currently demands. Seasons are long, games are becoming increasingly intense – you need a big squad if you have genuine hopes of challenging across three or four different competitions. The days of starting elevens and having two guys you trust off the bench are gone; the real value now lies in fresh legs, and different options for different days.
Also, this interest wasn’t cooked up overnight. The club have been following Hincapie since 2022 and his name was even put forward last summer, before they eventually pulled the trigger on Calafiori. But left-footed defenders feel like an endangered species right now and saving another one from the peril of that lot is the moral thing to do. Arteta was owed one after the Eze signing anyway – after all, successful relationships require compromise.
Ecuador are currently enjoying their own golden generation and Independiente del Valle should be credited with that. The Sangolquí-based club have produced the likes of Moises Caicedo, Willian Pacho, Kendry Paez, Joel Ordonez and more, with 39% of La Tri’s squad for the 2022 World Cup coming through their academy at one point. But when veteran striker Enner Valencia isn’t around, it’s Hincapie who captains the side which speaks volumes.
Leadership, accountability and standards are key to fostering any winning environment – it just helps that he’s a damn good player as well. Football moves quickly and cycles are short, success is never guaranteed. It’s not about keeping people happy, because wearing the shirt should be a fight, and Hincapie certainly knows his way around the ring.
