Arsenal completed the loan signing of Piero Hincapie on deadline day.
Hincapie joined on an initial temporary deal from Bayer Leverkusen, with the Gunners understood to hold a buy option for the player.
The Ecuadorian became the eighth summer signing made by the North Londoners, in what was an unprecedented transfer window, enacted by Andrea Berta.
Berta spent over £250 million on players, building Mikel Arteta a deep squad which should be capable of competing on multiple fronts.
Arsenal offered Jakub Kiwior to Bayer Leverkusen as part of Piero Hincapie deal
Once Jakub Kiwior expressed a desire to leave Arsenal, Berta knew he had to make one final addition after completing a deal for Eberechi Eze.
Kiwior has been described as ‘incredible’, and the sporting director knew he’d be a huge miss.
The Gunners could not afford to lose Kiwior, Kieran Tierney and Oleksandr Zinchenko in the same window and not bring in a new left-sided defender.
Thus, Hincapie was identified as the ideal target, and Berta got to work in negotiating with Leverkusen for the 23-year-old.
The German club were initially stubborn in their negotiations, insisting Arsenal pay the player’s £52 million release clause.
Having already spent £250 million at this point, the Gunners weren’t willing to meet this valuation, and instead proposed the idea of a loan with an option, which they intend to activate.
Leverkusen still resisted, and according to the Athletic, Arsenal even offered Kiwior in a swap deal for Hincapie.
The Bundesliga outfit weren’t interested in the Pole, and they therefore had to continue negotiations.
A deal was eventually agreed between Leverkusen and Berta, with the Italian securing exactly what he had wanted.
Andrea Berta has proven himself this summer
Berta deserves plaudits for his work this summer.
Not only did he demonstrate his negotiation skills in the deal for Hincapie, but also in many of the other pieces of business Arsenal conducted.
Most notably, the way in which he handled negotiations with Sporting CP for Viktor Gyokeres was exceptional and was representative of a highly skilled and adept individual.
Having left no stone unturned, Arteta now has a deep squad full of quality in every position, and this is a result of Berta’s excellent work.
The Italian has done his job, now it’s up to the Spaniard to do his and deliver silverware to N5.
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