They might not have had as explosive a deadline day as some of their rivals, but Arsenal still got some business done.
Andrea Berta and Co. saw several players go out on loan, including Oleksander Zinchenko, Reiss Nelson, and Fabio Vieira, while also welcoming one player into the club: Piero Hincapie.
The Bayer Leverkusen star put pen to paper on a season-long loan, but as both the German outfit and Arsenal have an option to make it permanent for £45m, it's pretty much guaranteed that it'll happen.
Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie.
Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie.
The Ecuadorian international is a seriously exciting player to add to the squad, but the Gunners may well have already sold a homegrown version of him.
Why Arsenal wanted Hincapie
Now, it just wouldn't be an Arsenal transfer window if Mikel Arteta didn't get his hands on a new left-back who can play at centre-back.
Hincapie 2024-25 season in numbers (timeless)
The Spaniard loves signing defenders, but beyond the jokes and the simple explanation of adding depth, Hincapie looks to be a brilliant signing.
What looks to be the most significant reason behind the Gunners securing his services is what he will be able to offer the team going forward.
That's not to say the former Leverkusen star is a liability at the back, far from it, but his ability to overlap is what could make him such a useful signing.
He might not be as gung-ho as Jeremie Frimpong, but respected analyst Ben Mattinson still described him as "a left-sided Ben White," for the way he gets up and down the pitch.
Hincapie's FB Scout Report
Statistics
Shots Blocked
Touches (Mid 3rd)
Total Passing Distance
Progressive Passing Distance
Live-ball Passes
Aerials Won
Passes Completed
Pass Completion %
Touches
Carries
Progressive Carrying Distance
Total Carrying Distance
Passes into Final Third
SCA (Shot)
All Stats via FBref
Moreover, FBref ranks in the top 3% of full-backs in Europe's top-five leagues for progressive passing distance, the top 5% for progressive carrying distance and overall carries, the top 8% for passes into the final third, and more, all per 90.
In other words, he is brilliant at getting the ball up the pitch, where he can then cross into the box or pass it to a teammate.
Piero Hincapie in action for Bayer Leverkusen
Piero Hincapie in action for Bayer Leverkusen
In all, Hincapie looks like he'll be a great addition to this Arsenal squad, but the club might have already had their own homegrown version of him before.
Arsenal's homegrown Hincapie
Arsenal have always been a club that produces sensational young talents, with the likes of Max Dowman, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly just the recent batch.
However, for every one youngster who gets into the first team, countless others do not, such as Lino Sousa.
The 20-year-old prospect joined the Gunners' youth setup from West Bromwich Albion in 2022, but instead of making his way into the first team or even going out on loan, he was sold to Aston Villa in January last year.
Lino-Sousa-Arsenal
He spent the rest of that season on loan with Plymouth Argyle before joining Bristol Rovers the following season, where he went on to become a regular, making 29 appearances.
While it may be early to say with certainty how good the Villa gem could be, many in the know have been full of praise for him for some time.
For example, Mattinson claimed that he "could be England's future LB," and academy expert Will Balsam has described him as an "athletic" full-back with "a deadly swinging left boot," which suggests he'd be brilliant at overlapping and crossing the ball into the box.
Moreover, Jeorge Bird, an authority on Hale End, previously characterised the youngster as a defender who 'relishes pushing forward but also doesn't shirk his defensive responsibilities.'
Sousa
In other words, he sounds like the player Arsenal hope they are getting in Hincapie, which begs the question: Should they have sold him at all?