Arsenal’s summer transfer window concluded with an eighth signing as Piero Hincapie arrived on deadline day.
The majority of Arsenal’s deadline day work was in the exit department, with six players moving on both permanently and on loan.
While Reiss Nelson, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira, Jakub Kiwior and Lucas Nygaard left on loan, Arsenal bid farewell to Albert Sambi Lokonga permanently.
Andrea Berta has impressed Arsenal fans over the summer, welcoming eight new players to Mikel Arteta’s squad, with Hincapie being the final piece to the puzzle.
Piero Hincapie’s role at Arsenal has been decided
Just like the £67m deal for Eberechi Eze, Arsenal beat Tottenham to the signing of Hincapie.
It made the deal even sweeter for fans, but there’s a far more prominent reason why the Ecuadorian was captured on deadline day.
Arteta wanted Hincapie’s versatility as an option in his defence, with many plans already in place regarding what the Arsenal manager wants from his new defender.
The BBC’s Sami Mokbel uncovered another layer of Arsenal’s decision to sign Hincapie when speaking on the BBC Football Daily podcast.
When talking about Eze’s role in the starting XI, Mokbel suspected that part of the reason Arsenal signed Hincapie was to support the England international.
“I think he can operate over there, out there, but I think that’s why they signed in Hincapie,” he explained.
“Another left back, because I think what you might see when Eze plays, is that he will drift in, and I think they just want more of an out-and-out defender in Hincapie, just to protect that left side a bit more.”
Hincapie was operating as both a centre-back and a left-back at Bayer Leverkusen, showing that he’s more than capable of playing in both roles.
With regard to adding more support on the left, it makes a lot of sense, as Riccardo Calafiori isn’t the best defensively in wide areas, nor is Myles Lewis-Skelly, who is a midfielder by trade.
Signal of anticipated change in Arsenal’s starting XI
So, what could the arrival of Hincapie mean for how Arteta lines up his Arsenal squad?
Mokbel’s take suggests that two changes could be made to the left, with Eze coming in for Gabriel Martinelli and Hincapie replacing Calafiori.
Both changes would be welcomed, as the left side has been an area of weakness in Arsenal’s favoured XI, being an area that the opposition likes to test.
Now, finally, the Gunners could have their balance on the right side reflected onto the left, which could prove to be pivotal to the North Londoners’ title charge.
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