Piero Hincapie of Ecuador against Qatar at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
According to the Mirror, Chelsea scouts are keeping a close eye on Ecuador defender Piero Hincapie during the World Cup. Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have been monitoring his progress for some time.
Hincapie, who plies his club football trade in Germany for Bayer Leverkusen is regarded as one of the best centre-backs in the last year or so. He has been in great form for Ecuador in Qatar as well.
With Leverkusen failing to qualify for the knock-out stage of this season’s Champions League, they would be braced for offers from Premier League clubs for the 20-year-old in the January transfer window itself.
The future of veteran defender Thiago Silva is up in the air with his contract expiring at the end of the season. The Brazil captain is 38 now and we would not be surprised if he sees out his current contract and leaves Stamford Bridge.
Hincapie can be seen as an ideal successor for Silva. The 20-year-old was an academy product of Independiente. He played for two years at Atletico Talleres before moving to Germany in 2021 summer.
He is a left-sided centre-back, just like Thiago Silva, who can also play as a left-back. Out of the 51 appearances in all competitions for Leverkusen, he has played 28 of them as a left-back.
Chelsea are covered in the left-back department with Marc Cucurella and Ben Chilwell fighting for one position. It is the central defence where they would need an addition soon.
Hincapie is physically strong in duels, possesses a good recovery pace and is good at passing out from the back. He was very good in both of Ecuador’s games in the World Cup so far, conceding only one goal.
We are already linked with Josko Gvardiol who has a similar profile and age to Hincapie. It remains to be seen which player Graham Potter and his transfer team finalise as a long-term replacement for Thiago Silva. Truth be told, Gvardiol’s form has also been no less good at RB Leipzig and Croatia.
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