Piero Hincapie wants to leave his mark in north London and revealed it took just one conversation to know that N5 was the place to take his career to the next level.
The Ecuadorian defender has joined us on a year-long loan from Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen, becoming the eighth signing of a busy summer transfer window.
Piero didn’t need any convincing from our head coach, Mikel Arteta, and sporting director Andrea Berta that Emirates Stadium was the place to be in 2025/26, and is keen to make a name for himself as quickly as possible.
“It only took one conversation to make me feel sure about the decision that I was taking. I’m over the moon.” Piero said in his first interview, which you can watch by pressing play on the video above!
“I want to gel as best as I can with my new teammates and have a good season.
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Piero Hincapie: His story so far
“I always want to win trophies for this club, to make a name for myself, and to leave a mark. I want to get off to a good start quickly and that’s the most important thing.”
Piero left home at a young age to pursue his footballing dreams, first departing his hometown of Esmeraldas for Independiente del Valle at 14 before heading to Argentina at 18 and then onto Germany a year later.
The 23-year-old has thrived at Leverkusen, winning the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and German Supercup in a memorable four years.
Piero played alongside former Gunner, Granit Xhaka, and our new signing revealed conversations he’s had with the Swiss international in the past about Arsenal.
He said: “We’d speak a lot but not about [Arsenal]. However, I asked him about Arsenal at one point, and I queried him about how things were here.
“He spoke wonders about the club and how he felt during his spell here. I loved the conversation that we had at that point, and it wasn’t that recent. He did send me a message recently, though. He always spoke well of the club.”
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Comfortable playing both centre-back and left-back, Piero has represented his country on 46 occasions, captaining them twice. Ahead of the international break, Piero gave a flavour of what we can expect from him for the season ahead.
He said: “I think I can bring a lot of courage. I do my job well. I want to show my qualities as I’ve been doing for years. I want to give so much for this club.
“My best position is centre-back. I’ve played many games at full-back as well, but I think I’m best at centre-back. As for my qualities, I’m pacey and I like carrying the ball forward as well as being a leader on the pitch.”
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The best photos from Piero Hincapie’s first day
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