Stunning Eze repeat: Arsenal agree personal terms to sign £52m star

The last seven days or so have been nothing short of a roller coaster for Arsenal fans.

It all started with the news that Kai Havertz had suffered another injury setback on Wednesday morning, which, after last season, felt like a real hammer blow.

However, by the end of the day, the fanbase was in dreamland, as the club were back in for the extraordinarily talented Eberechi Eze, and within a few days, he was being unveiled in front of a packed-out Emirates.

Yet, as if the Englishman wasn't enough, the Gunners are now back in the market and appear to be closing in on another signing who could be looked at as a bit of an Eze repeat.

Arsenal target Eze repeat

With all the understandable excitement Eze's arrival has whipped up over the last few days, it's easy to forget that even before his arrival, Arsenal were having a great window.

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The additions of Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi could well be transformational for the starting lineup, and the likes of Noni Madueke and Cristhian Mosquera have added some much-needed depth.

Yet, even with the seven signings made under Andrea Berta's watch this window, the Gunners appear keen to add at least one more name to that list, someone who could be looked at as another Eze-type signing.

At least that is according to The Athletic's David Ornstein, who has claimed Arsenal are very interested in Piero Hincapie.

The respected journalist has revealed that the Bayer Leverkusen defender wants to leave the German outfit this month and that he is prioritising a move to the Emirates.

Interestingly, while the Ecuadorian international has a €60m release clause in his current deal - around £52m - the North Londoners are making efforts to reduce that fee to something "more realistic."

Even then, this will likely be a costly deal, but personal terms are not expected to be any issue with reports on the continent noting that Hincapie and the Gunners have agreed a contract up until 2030.

Hincapie has proven he'd be more than worth it in recent seasons, especially as this would be another Eze-esque deal.

Why Hincapie would be another Eze

Now, don't worry, it is not lost on us that Hincapie and Eze operate in very different areas of the pitch, and play the game in very different ways because of this.

However, their positions have little to do with why this deal could be another Eze-esque situation.

Instead, one of the main reasons why their arrivals would be somewhat similar is the fact that Tottenham Hotspur have been interested in both players this summer.

In fact, according to some reports, the Gunners' bitter rivals have already been in contact with the Leverkusen star, and had him reasonably high up on their list of targets this summer.

So, if this is to be believed, then it would be another case of Berta and his team once again usurping the Lilywhites and moving in on someone they wanted to sign.

Piero Hincapie in action for Bayer Leverkusen

However, there are a few other similarities between the two players and their situations as well.

For example, like the former Palace star, the "Ecuadorian football legend in the making," as talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed him, is a regular member of his national team, and while he often plays at centre-back, he's versatile enough that he can excel at left-back as well.

Hincapie's Leverkusen record Competition Games G+As Bundesliga 116 10 Europa League 26 1 Champions League 14 1 DFB-Pokal 9 0 DFL Super Cup 1 0 All Stats via Transfermarkt

Moreover, he's currently a guaranteed starter in Germany, and, like the Greenwich-born star, played a key role in helping his team do something for the first time in their history when they won the league a couple of seasons ago.

Ultimately, even though it has somewhat come out of nowhere, Hincapie looks like he could be an excellent signing for Arsenal, and one that mirrors Eze's arrival last week.

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