Fabrizio Romano confirms first Arsenal summer signing as Arteta secures big money transfer

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Arsenal’s signing of the summer transfer window in a deal that he described as ‘never in doubt’.

The Gunners are hoping to end a run of three straight years as runners up in the Premier League by finally securing the title for the first time in more than 20 years.

Mikel Arteta splashed the cash last summer to continue assembling a side capable of winning the Premier League, with nearly €300 million spent on a host of players, many of whom provided some much-needed quality in depth.

However, one of Arsenal’s most crucial summer acquisitions was the loan signing of Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen, with the 24-year-old making 17 league starts this season.

And Romano confirmed that Arsenal are now set to keep Hincapie on a permanent deal for €52m plus a 10% sell-on clause to Leverkusen, having already paid €6m as a loan fee.

“Arsenal will turn Piero Hincapié deal into permanent in June, never in doubt,” Romano wrote on X. “Deal was structured on initial loan for FFP reasons but always seen as permanent, similar to [David] Raya deal in the past.”

Hincapie solves long-term Arsenal problem – at a cost

Hincapie’s arrival was a major step towards bringing in first-team quality all over the squad in order to avoid any substantial drops in quality when forced to rotate.

Arsenal have often seen previous title challenges derail due to injuries to key stars at crucial points in the season, which often forced Arteta to field players deemed of a lower quality during pivotal matches.

Hincapie was initially signed as a backup left-back but he has proven to be a regular starter after seeing the likes of Riccardo Calafiori, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes all miss matches throughout the course of the season.

However, Hincapie’s permanent signing could signal problems for Myles Lewis-Skelly, who has made just one Premier League start this season despite being a breakout star last year.

Lewis-Skelly’s future has come into question due to his lack of game-time and his minutes may continue to be limited with Hincapie set for a long-term stay at the Emirates.

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