Arsenal’s new signing Piero Hincapie has provided a training ground update ahead of the Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Ecuador international signed for the Gunners on deadline day from Bayer Leverkusen. He has joined on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy for £45 million next summer.
Hincapie immediately joined his national side for the World Cup qualifiers. He kept clean sheets against Paraguay and Argentina, and will be eyeing his Gunners debut this weekend.
The 23-year-old was spotted at London Colney for his first training session with the club on Thursday. The versatile defender posted pictures on Instagram with the caption: ‘My first day at Sobha’.
Arsenal suffered an untimely setback before the international break. William Saliba picked up an ankle injury against Liverpool and was substituted after just five minutes at Anfield.
Cristhian Mosquera was handed a big challenge to partner Gabriel Magalhaes in central defence. The Spaniard was up for the occasion and was described as ‘really good‘ by the manager.
The 21-year-old is likely to get the nod in the heart of the backline in tomorrow’s early kick-off, considering Mikel Arteta prefers to play with a right and left-footed combination.
Jurrien Timber and Ben White are possible solutions, but the duo have established themselves as right-backs in recent years. Arteta should place his faith in Mosquera after his good display.
Hincapie, valued at £43 million by Transfermarkt, can comfortably operate in central defence or at left-back. He is likely to start his Gunners career as a regular substitute, in our view.
The left-footed ace is dominant when it comes to aerial and ground duels and has strong distribution skills. He could be rotated with Gabriel on the left side of central defence on occasions.
With competition from Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly at left-back, Hincapie could be seen as a deputy for Gabriel in the central defensive department during his debut season.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
