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Arsenal are seeing the best of Piero Hincapie at the right time, and the defender himself sounds fully aware of it as the 2026 World Cup edges closer.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Ecuador international has grown into an important option for Mikel Arteta since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen in September 2025.<\/p>\n Hincapie is no longer being discussed as a player adjusting to English football. He is now part of an Arsenal side still fighting on multiple fronts, and his versatility has helped. He has been used both as a centre-back and on the left, offering Arteta tactical flexibility.<\/p>\n In recent weeks, he has delivered strong performances, including a standout display against Bayer Leverkusen, his former club. He also scored his first Premier League goal in the 2-2 draw against Wolves last month.<\/p>\n So when he speaks about confidence, adaptation and responsibility, it fits the wider picture at Arsenal.<\/p>\n In an interview with DSports<\/strong>Hincapie reflected on facing Bayer Leverkusen after leaving the German side for Arsenal. The defender admitted it was an emotional experience.<\/p>\n \u201cGoing back to where I was happy is very emotional, and also sad because I had to face the club where I won everything. They opened the doors for me, so there were many mixed emotions.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Arsenal signed a player with elite-level experience despite his age, and Leverkusen clearly remain a major part of his story. Still, his focus is now fixed on north London and on keeping his place ahead of the World Cup.<\/p>\n He also offered a revealing line on life under Arteta.<\/p>\n \u201cWith Mikel, he has a very strong character. He likes intense training sessions. You have to be at the maximum level because of what the league demands. I adapted very well to what he asks in every moment of the game. I\u2019m very happy to have him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n That feels very true. The physical and tactical demands under Arteta are well known, and Hincapie\u2019s comments suggest he has embraced them rather than merely survived them.<\/p>\n Another notable part of the interview was Hincapie\u2019s praise for Gabriel Heinze, who joined Arsenal\u2019s coaching staff in 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cHeinze helps us a lot with the defensive side too. He gives advice to everyone. He\u2019s a great reference point for us as well, having him there in training.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n That should catch attention. Heinze arrived with a reputation for intensity and defensive aggression, and Hincapie is one of the players most likely to benefit from that influence.<\/p>\n He is already comfortable defending wide spaces, stepping into duels and covering on the left. Extra work on the defensive side could make him even more important for Arsenal next season.<\/p>\n For now, though, the timing is the key point. Arsenal have a defender in form, the player sounds settled, and Ecuador will be pleased to hear it.<\/p>\n Hincapie is speaking like someone who knows this stretch of the season can define both his club year and his World Cup summer.<\/p>\n \n <\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Arsenal are seeing the best of Piero Hincapie at the right time, and the defender<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":415,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/osport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/osport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/osport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1994"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/osport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1994\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/osport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Emotional return and Arteta demands<\/h2>\n
Heinze influence and bigger role<\/h2>\n