Arsenal had one of the busiest transfer windows among the Premier League sides and capped it off by signing Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen on loan, with an option to buy as per several reports.
The Athletic has now reported that Arsenal actually have an obligation to purchase Hincapie on a permanent deal worth £45 million next year and the ‘option to buy’ clause is only worded due to a financial decision by the Gunners.
As per the source, Arsenal wish to reflect Hincapie’s permanent signing in next season’s accounting transactions, but legally documenting his loan as an obligation as opposed to an option to buy would have required them to sign him before July 1st, 2026.
Considering how heavily they have spent on the likes of Eberechi Eze, Martin Zubimendi and Viktor Gyokeres in the last few weeks, it will be looked at as a frugal decision by the board which mitigates the club’s risk of facing Financial Fair Play sanctions.
Hincapie a fantastic addition in defence
Piero Hincapie is a fantastic signing for Arsenal, who did not have much defensive depth last season and were left to sweat over options in the heart of their backline when Gabriel Magalhaes suffered an injury towards the end of the campaign.
He also has a winning pedigree having done superbly well at Bayer Leverkusen, where he most notably won an undefeated domestic double in 2023/24 under Xabi Alonso while being a regular fixture in the team.
The 23-year-old is crucially a left-footed player too, thus providing Mikel Arteta with a different option if he wishes to play out from the back in comparison to his existing centre backs, who are both right-footed.
Hincapie’s calmness on the ball and pace will also help Arsenal do better defensively should Arteta decide to use a high line, whereas his attributes in possession also make the South American star a handy option at left back.
It will be interesting to see what sort of a role he has to play in the team this season, although not much will influence his future in a negative way as Arsenal, as it turns out, are obliged to purchase him for £45 million next summer.
