Arsenal are rumoured to be interested in triggering Piero Hincapie’s £45m buy option.
The Ecuadorian defender joined the club on loan from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.
Hincapie has impressed for the Gunners so far this season and scored his first goal in Arsenal’s 2-2 draw against Wolves.
As Arsenal begin to think about their summer transfer business, they could be tying down their first deal very soon – but is it the correct call?
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HINCAPIE’S ARSENAL STORY SO FAR
After a busy summer acquiring the likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze, deadline day saw Arsenal strike again.
Hincapie had been on the radar of many clubs across Europe, including London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.
For Arsenal to sign him up on a season-long loan with an option to buy was seen as a major coup.
Hincapie has, for the most part, become Mikel Arteta’s first-choice left-back.
He has been beating out top-quality players such as Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly for the starting role.
He has started 15 of Arsenal,s 28 Premier League matches so far this season, and has missed eight games for club and country sidelined through injury.
Hincapie has overall had a bit of a mixed reaction when it comes to the Gunners fans.
Many have been pleased with his performances so far in Arsenal’s title charge.
Some corners of the fanbase, however, remain unsure.
Whilst Hincapie is a very solid defender, he has also appeared to demonstrate rash decision-making at times.
SHOULD GUNNERS MAKE THE MOVE PERMANENT?
As mentioned earlier, Arsenal have a plethora of options not only at left-back, but across the defence.
Hincapie was signed predominantly as a left-sided player, but he can – and has – featured more centrally for Arteta.
Calafiori and Lewis-Skelly are the other natural left-backs in the squad.
Gabriel Magalhaes can play there too, as can Jurrien Timber.
As for centre backs, the majority of the backline can play there.
Gabriel, Timber, Calafiori, William Saliba, Cristhian Mosquera, Ben White, and, of course, Hincapie, are all top central defenders.
This begs the question: should Arsenal spend this £45m elsewhere?
It’s rumoured that the Gunners may be preparing for a relatively quiet summer this time around.
If there is a glaring hole to be filled in this squad, it’s a defensive midfielder.
Christian Norgaard, who made the switch from Brentford last summer, has barely featured this season.
Signed as an astute back-up to Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi, Arteta seems reluctant to rely on his services when needed.
This had led fans to believe a stronger midfield signing is needed for even greater strength in depth.
The permanent signing of Hincapie would by no means be a bad piece of business for Arsenal.
There must be question marks, however, over whether it should be the club’s biggest priority this summer.
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