‘The crowd is going to love him!’ – Arteta heaps praise on surprise Arsenal signing

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has heaped praise on summer signing Piero Hincapie following his first ever Premier League appearance against Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.

The Ecuador international completed an initial loan move from Bayer Leverkusen on Transfer Deadline Day, but he suffered a groin injury following his debut versus Athletic Club in the Champions League and has been ruled out ever since.

Hincapie made his return to the Gunners’ matchday squad against Atletico Madrid in midweek, before featuring for just the second time in an Arsenal shirt during their 1-0 victory over Oliver Glasner’s side on Sunday.

He replaced Riccardo Calafiori in the 82nd minute, and Arteta was eager to praise the 23-year-old during his post-match press conference.

“It’s great to have Piero on the pitch as well,” Arteta told reporters (via the official Arsenal website).

“You could sense immediately his aggression, his commitment in every action that he does. I think the crowd is going to love him, and [credit to] the rest of the boys that had to come in to win the game.”

Piero Hincapie to Arsenal

Hincapie was a surprise arrival on Transfer Deadline Day, with Arsenal already boasting an impressive backline that consists of Benjamin White, Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Cristhian Mosquera, Gabriel Magalhaes, Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

However, Arteta was eager to add further reinforcements and Hincapie joined the club on an initial loan deal with an option to buy for a reported fee of €52m.

In addition to the 23-year-old, Arsenal also signed Martin Zubimendi, Eberechi Eze, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Christian Norgaard, Kepa Arrizabalaga and the aforementioned Mosquera over the summer in a bid to end a five-year trophy drought dating back to their triumph over Chelsea in the 2020 FA Cup final.

The Gunners are currently four points clear at the top of the Premier League table, while they are among the favourites to win this season’s Champions League.

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