Arsenal: Piero Hincapie can offer new dimension to bring best out of Eberechi Eze | OneFootball

Versatile defender could quickly prove one of the most important signings of a remarkable summer transfer window for Mikel Arteta

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Clearly, those clips of Ramos’ aggressive and front-footed defending had an impact on Hincapie as during the 2022-23 Bundesliga season he was shown 13 yellow cards and three reds, more than any other player.

Ramos was no stranger to a booking during his career. Indeed, the Spaniard is the most cautioned player in Champions League history.

Hincapie has matured recently, though, and has not been sent off in the Bundesliga during each of the past two seasons.

The 23-year-old has established himself as one of the most promising defenders in Europe. Arsenal view his signing as a coup, while Bayer Leverkusen were disappointed to see him leave.

“Today Piero battles on an equal footing with world-class players like Lionel Messi and Mo Salah,” Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes said in December last year. “He’s earned that respect from around the world.”

Piero battles on an equal footing with world-class players like Lionel Messi and Mo Salah

Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes

Leverkusen signed Hincapie four years ago when he was just 19 and they have moulded him into the player he is today.

Xabi Alonso, a close friend of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, has been instrumental in his development and helped transform Hincapie into a versatile defender.

Under Alonso, the Ecuadorian became a “modern defender”, operating as a centre-back in a back three, a left-back in a back four, and even a wing-back at times.

Both Arteta and Arsenal’s sporting director Andrea Berta highlighted Hincapie’s versatility as a key reason the club signed him.

“Piero has a real physical presence,” said Arteta. “He is a big character, with a very good combination of both youth and maturity. He will make our squad stronger and more competitive.”

Hincapie essentially arrives as a replacement for Jakub Kiwior - who joined Porto on Monday - and adds even greater depth to Arsenal’s defensive options.

His preferred position is centre-back and he will offer competition and cover for Gabriel. Hincapie is in a different mould to the Brazilian, though, and in his first interview with Arsenal referenced how he likes to carry the ball forward.

That was evident last season and, out of all the players in the Bundesliga, Hincapie ranked fourth for progressive carrying distance - a metric that records how far players carry the ball towards the opponent’s goal.

Hincapie likes playing as a centre-back because it allows him to drive with the ball out of defence, but he could prove a valuable weapon for Arsenal as a left-back. The Ecuadorian has experience of playing the position and his pace on the overlap makes him dangerous when going forward.

Only Jeremie Frimpong clocked a higher top speed in the Leverkusen squad last season than Hincapie. The latter’s top speed came in at 35.85 km/h - outstripping the likes of Benjamin Sesko, Hugo Ekitike and Omar Marmoush.

Such pace would add a new dimension to Arteta’s options at left-back, to complement what he already has. Myles Lewis-Skelly tucks into midfield to create overloads, while Riccardo Calafiori does get forward but often he moves inside to get close to the striker.

Hincapie could offer something different by operating as an old-school overlapping full-back, which would suit fellow new signing Eberechi Eze.

Aggressive approach: Hincapie is certainly not afraid of a challenge

AFP via Getty Images

Eze made his debut for Arsenal on the left flank last weekend at Anfield and will get plenty of minutes there moving forward.

He likes to cut inside and cause problems that way, which is why an overlapping full-back, such as Hincapie, would complement his style.

Hincapie has earned a reputation for being a fierce defender and he won over 300 duels in the Bundesliga last season, a tally only beaten by two of his Leverkusen team-mates.

But he is good on the ball, too, as shown by the fact that his pass completion rate last season in Germany’s top-flight was just over 90 per cent.

In a summer where Arsenal made eight signings, it would be easy for Hincapie’s late arrival to go under the radar.

But Arteta and the club see him as a crucial signing and, when the Ecuadorian was unveiled by Arsenal last week, he was described on social media as “the final piece of the puzzle.”

How Hincapie fits into that puzzle remains to be seen - and it is a problem Arteta should relish solving.