Arsenal signed Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen late on in the 2025 summer transfer window.
The Gunners managed to secure one more late signing in August before the deadline closed by securing Bayer Leverkusen defender Hincapie, who comes to the Emirates with a very respectable reputation, and a lot of potential for the future.
Arsenal signed him after sending Jakub Kiwior out on loan to Porto, and Hincapie will now battle with the likes of William Saliba, Gabriel and Cristhian Mosquera for a starting role at centre-back.
But what about his career before moving to North London…
Rising through the ranks in Ecuador and Argentina
Hincapie began his career in his native Ecuador at the age of seven, when he began to play for three local football clubs: Escuela Refineria, Emelec and Barcelona. However, at the age of 10, Hincapie moved to play for Norte America in Ecuador’s third division in 2013.
After spending a year there, the defender then moved again, to join Deportivo Azogues, who were in the Serie B (second tier), as his youth career began to pick up steam. He spent three years with Azogues, before then moving to Serie A side Independiente del Valle at the age of 14.
Following a spell of three years with Independiente, the club decided to hand Hincapie with his first professional contract aged 17. However, over the next year, he only made seven appearances for the club, and eventually left to join Argentinian first division side Talleres.
He agreed a five year deal in 2020, and began to really develop into a star in Argentina, making 22 appearances in the following season aged 18. His impressive performances, and mature style of play for such a young centre-back began to attract attention in the Bundesliga.
Big move to Bayer Leverkusen before transfer to Arsenal
Hincapie’s big move to Europe came in 2021, when he joined Bayer Leverkusen, who had been scouting him in Argentina. He made his debut just two weeks after signing, coming off the bench in a Europa League game against Ferencvaros, and scored his first goal for the club against Celtic a month later in the Europa League.
In the 2022/23 season, Hincapie established himself as a regular starter for Bayer Leverkusen, making 43 appearances in all competitions, also adding one goal, and one assist to his resume.
However, the 2023/24 season was his career highlight so far, as the young Ecuadorian centre-back helped Leverkusen to overcome Bayern Munich and win the Bundesliga under now Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso.
He made 43 appearances again in that season, also scoring one goal and one assist, and most importantly, landing his first major piece of silverware.
Last season, even though Leverkusen failed to repeat their league title, Hincapie continued to develop, making 45 appearances, with three goals, and two assists. After his impressive performances for the German club, Arsenal decided to sign him on a year-long loan with an option to buy set at £45 million. They will decide on the option at the end of the season, but it feels more likely that Hincapie will become a permanent Arsenal player.
