Piero Hincapie is quickly becoming the latest underrated Arsenal player following his performance away at AFC Bournemouth.
The Ecuadorian international has really been thrown into the deep end in North London following Arsenal’s defensive injury crisis.
Fill the blanks: I think Mikel Arteta should start _________ at left-back when Arsenal’s squad is fully fit
Riccardo Calafiori, Piero Hincapie, Myles Lewis-Skelly…who gets your pick?
Mikel Arteta’s team have had such misfortune with injuries this season, especially in defence, which has meant the 23-year-old has become a regular starter.
Hincapie has made mistakes during his time in the team, but on the whole, his performance has been impressive, and most importantly, he’s been ever-present.
Piero Hincapie’s availability has been so important for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal
One of the most important traits in modern football is availability, and right now, Piero Hincapie has certainly been able to offer that to Arsenal.
Arteta’s squad looked to be complete following the arrival of, however, Andrea Berta pushed Arsenal to bring Hincapie and Eberechi Eze in during the final days of the summer window.
At first, Hincapie looked to be just a luxury signing for the Gunners, given their plethora of defensive options, but now, he’s turned out to be a crucial addition.
In Arsenal’s last 11 matches in the Premier League and Champions League, the defender has started in ten of them.
You have £45m to spend on a defender, do you pay for Piero Hincapie or sign someone else?
During that run of games, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori, and Cristhian Mosquera have all missed matches.
Many players struggle to make the adaptation from the Bundesliga to the Premier League, and despite being rushed into the starting XI, Hincapie has shown real quality.
Next summer, Arsenal will have the option to buy Hincapie for £45 million, which looks to be a no-brainer for Arteta and Berta.
Piero Hincapie has been an upgrade on Jakub Kiwior at Arsenal
So far, Hincapie has proven to be an upgrade on Jakub Kiwior at Arsenal, despite there being some frustrations around the Pole being sold last summer.
Kiwior has been impressing at FC Porto since his summer switch, but the defender never quite offered as much going forward as Hincapie.
The Polish international was a very solid defender, just like Hincapie; however, the latter proved against Bournemouth that he can also attack.
Away at the Vitality Stadium, Hincapie had 44 touches, completing 19 of his 27 passes and one key pass.
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