The excitement at the Arsenal Football Club was the highest ever in Mikel Arteta’s reign, raising fanbase expectations on and off the pitch.
Eberechi Eze was confirmed as Gunners’ latest addition on Saturday afternoon and took part in a £67.5 million deal from Premier League rival Crystal Palace.
By combining his 16 goals to assist England’s top flight, a new dimension is added to the attack on the side, and then can work in ten roles or off the left side of the front line.
The 27-year-old Arsenal fan in his childhood was presented to fans before a 5-0 victory over Leeds with the Emirates.
However, with less than a week remaining in the summer window, managers still target the reinforcements added to their teams, with numerous names mentioned in recent moves.
The hunt to the lands of Arsenal added reinforcement after eze
Despite last week’s move to land Eze, another attacker appeared on the radar, and Rodrigo was once again promoted in a move to join Arsenal this summer.
It was recently reported that the Gunners hierarchy was set up for meetings with Brazilian representatives. Real Madrid was opened to allow the 24-year-old to leave permanently or temporarily.
However, the winger is not the only one currently on the radar. Bayer Leverkusen defender Pierohincapie is another player moving ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline.
According to one insider, Gunner is a huge Ecuadorian admirer, and Arteta has already been discussing with players about switching to north London this summer.
It has also been reported that the move hanging on Jakub Kiwior’s pending move to join Porto is currently a £52 million transfer fee currently under debate for Star Leverkusen.
Why is Arsenal’s £52 million target signing more than eze?
Eze’s move injected a new sense of optimism within Arsenal’s fanbase. This is understandable given his big transfer fee.
Such a deal has been sweetened, especially after Tottenham Hotspur signed him, despite the great interest from his North London rivals before the Gunners moved to the Emirates.
But he will have enormous expectations given the fees, but he will not deny that England International has many top-level qualities.
The Hincapey move could undoubtedly be a better addition this summer, providing the necessary cover in the centre-back and left-back divisions.
Oleksandr Zinchenko, Kieran Tierney, Riccardo Calafiori and others have all tried to fill in the blanks, but have struggled very hard with injuries in the past few campaigns.
Calafiori has so far started both Gunners’ two Premier League games, winning the winner against Manchester United.
The Hincapee contract provides an immediate and long-term solution to Arteta’s biggest problem in the defensive division, with the 23-year-old having more than 160 appearances for Leberkusen since moving to the German side in 2021.
His underlying statistics from the Bundesliga final campaign highlight the talent he doesn’t own – despite his £52 million price tag, it could potentially be a great pickup.
He ranked in the 95th percentile with passes completed last season (88%), but fell into the 85th percentile of progressive passes around 90 (5.1).
Statistics of Piero Hincapie from Leverkusen at Bundesliga (2024/25) | |
|---|---|
Statistics (per 90) | totalling |
The game has been played | 32 |
Goals and Assistance | 4 |
Accuracy | 88% |
Progressive Pass | 5.1 |
Move to the last third | 5.4 |
I’ll bring it to the last third | 1.6 |
Progressive Carry | 1.8 |
The tackle won | 1.4 |
The air won | 2.2 |
Aerial success rate | 60% |
Statistics via FBREF | |
Such numbers are best for Eze and could potentially pass the British on the success of their debut year with Gunners’ first team.
He was also ranked in the 90th percentile at the 95th percentile and in the final third per 90 (1.6). Overlap runs could be performed if necessary, providing additional creative threats on the side of Arteta in critical areas.
However, Hincapy was just as impressive as he scored 1.4 tackles per 90, achieving a 60% air success rate. This can further strengthen the defense of the best clubs in the Premier League in each of the last two seasons.
£52 million may seem like a huge sum for young people, but that is what ultimately allows the consistent starter to the left of the backline to end up in club hunting.
If he can move his numbers from the Bundesliga to the Premier League, Hincapie is a phenomenal pickup and could prove to be more important than Eze in the Gunners’ hunt for Premier League glory.
