Arsenal turned Piero Hincapie’s loan into a permanent deal earlier this summer.
The Ecuador international was fantastic in the 2025/26 campaign and played a key part in the second half of the season to help the Gunners win the Premier League title.
Andrea Berta struck a deal to sign Hincapie permanently for just £34.5 million, which is an absolute bargain in the current financial climate.
Now, the Arsenal sporting director’s double move could elevate Hincapie’s status at Arsenal.
Who is Arsenal’s best left-back: RICCARDO CALAFIORI or PIERO HINCAPIE?
Piero Hincapie could become Arsenal’s first-choice left-back ahead of Riccardo Calafiori
When Riccardo Calafiori has been fully fit, Mikel Arteta has preferred him at left-back.
The Italian is a very unique player. Even though he starts games at left-back, he is given the license to move anywhere on the pitch.
That sort of unpredictability makes him a key asset for Arsenal, but Calafiori could drop down the pecking order in the upcoming season.
That is because Berta has struck a deal to sign Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge, while talks are ongoing to bring Morgan Rogers to the Emirates as well.
The similarity between the two players is that they are both at their best when they are cutting inside and having an impact centrally.
For that to happen, they will need an overlapping full-back, and Calafiori is not suited to that role at all.
That is where Piero Hincapie steps in. The Ecuadorian is much more comfortable overlapping, and he showed last season that he can deliver great crosses too.
Furthermore, the former Bayer Leverkusen man is a much better defender than Calafiori as well, and he is capable of nullifying top wingers without any trouble.
For those reasons, we think Hincapie will be Arsenal’s first-choice left-back in the upcoming campaign ahead of Calafiori.
Riccardo Calafiori will still have a big role to play at Arsenal
Calafiori dropping down the pecking order doesn’t mean he is no longer needed.
The Italian will still have a massive role to play at Arsenal, especially off the bench against teams who sit back and defend with 11 men.
Against tired legs and minds, Calafiori’s movement will cause havoc and open up games for the Gunners when they are struggling to score.
On top of that, Arsenal will likely play over 50 games next season, so they will need both Hincapie and Calafiori to contribute, irrespective of who is the first choice.
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