Arsenal are the latest club to pillage a leading star from Bayer Leverkusen, with Piero Hincapie subject to significant interest from the Gunners.
Mikel Arteta’s side are working on a deal to sign the Ecuador international, according to The Athletic, which reports that for a transfer to go through, they will first need to sell players.
With Jakub Kiwior likely on his way out of the Emirates Stadium, though, space is likely to open up for the 23-year-old to arrive in a big-money move.
Leverkusen are set to demand around €60 million for the player, which is the value of his release clause, but Hincapie wants to leave for more like €45m, Ben Jacobs reports.
Regardless of the fee, what would Arsenal be getting for their money?
How good is Hincapie?
Hincapie is a versatile defender capable of operating as a left-back or a centre-back. This quality is one that Arteta particularly admires in his defenders, with virtually his whole defensive corps being capable of playing both centrally and wide.
In terms of his quality, there are few concerns. He would arrive as a rotation player for the squad, according to data analytics experts SciSports, but he is a player capable of developing into a regular starter with Arsenal.
Is he an upgrade on Kiwior? You better believe he is.
Hincapie v Kiwior: Current ability and potential
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Piero Hincapié
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Jakub Kiwior
Based on his SciSkill score, which is calculated using hundreds of in-game statistics, he gets a score of 75.7, with a potential of nearly 85.4. By contrast, Kiwior scores just 71.4 and 74.7 respectively.
All this might seem a little abstract, but when the numbers from league performances last season are studied, Hincapie comes out on top in almost every key department.
Mentally, he is also tough.
“Basically he’s a warrior,” agent Manuel Sierra told CaughtOffside. “He’s a leader. He is, for me, the best left central defender in the world. One of the best left-backs and the best hybrid players for sure. I mean, he needs – or he deserves to – play in the world’s best places. He’s very happy in Bayer but he’s ready for the next step.
“He is also very good at playmaking. He just likes to win like nothing else, you know? He competes for win all the time, even when he hasn’t played that often. He’s a warrior, but above all, he is a very good person; nice person and humble guy who knows where he comes from.”
The expert opinion
Bundesliga expert Ronan Murphy has told FootballTransfers that Hincapie is a player with world-leading potential.
He says: “It’s clear why Piero Hincapie is so in demand as the window is set to close. The Ecuador international has all the attributes managers and scouts want in a defender: left-footed, versatile, comfortable on the ball, excellent in the air, strong and clever.
“Leverkusen have a habit of developing top-quality defenders, and he is set to follow in the footsteps of Jonathan Tah and Jeremie Frimpong by moving to a bigger club this summer.
“Xabi Alonso loved him at Leverkusen and whoever signs him next will have the same adoration for the 23-year-old who has all the potential to become one of the world’s best, no matter where across the backline he plays.”
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