Tottenham Hotspur won't feel the sting of losing top transfer targets as badly now that they've finally landed a big fish of their own in Xavi Simons, which was a transfer made all the sweeter by virtue of Chelsea's significant interest in the Dutch international. In fact, the Blues were overwhelming favorites to sign the RB Leipzig midfielder before the U23 star penned his deal with Spurs in the end.
Although Tottenham have sealed one-half of their need in the attacking midfield, Spurs could still use another midfielder, a goal-scoring winger, and a center back, which is still evidently one of the needs at the top of Thomas Frank's wishlist before the clock strikes midnight on Aug. 31.
On paper, the dream target of all dream targets at center back was Piero Hincapie. The Bayer Leverkusen defender is young, left-footed, and an ideal fit in a back three, which he has proven at Leverkusen by being a key part of their undefeated side in 2023/24 and a regular fixture at the club for multiple seasons.
But Arsenal have been going after Hincapie harder than Tottenham, whose own interest in the Ecuadorian international seemed lukewarm. At least, the club itself wasn't as enamored as Thomas Frank with the idea of spending big on the Bundesliga standout.
Arsenal are getting a great deal
The Athletic's David Ornstein has now confirmed that Piero Hincapie is indeed off the table entirely, as he has agreed to join North London rivals Arsenal, becoming the third notable player in this transfer window after defensive midfielder Christian Norgaard and attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze to sign with Arsenal over Tottenham. Though in this case, Spurs fans aren't as let down since they weren't in the lead for Hincapie at any point.
Of course, Hincapie is a bigger signing than either of those players, as the 23-year-old is a special athlete who could fit the Premier League perfectly. Like Micky van de Ven, he is one of those versatile and uber-atheltic defensive talents from Germany who could actually do even better in the English league.
Per Ornstein, Arsenal are only signing Hincapie on loan with a 52 million euro option to buy, plus a 10 percent sell-on clause to Leverkusen. Since Arsenal aren't obligated to pay up front and would actually be spending below his release clause to buy him permanently, Tottenham may be kicking themselves for not being more aggressive on the Hincapie front, especially since Arsenal - already loaded defensively - were the ones to get this discounted deal.