Somewhere buried beneath the expensive bottles of wine, the kind that has been saved for the last four years in hope of this very moment, and the greasy kebab only a hangover can devour, Mikel Arteta can find his game plan for the Crystal Palace meeting.
Although, with the Premier League trophy waiting, that’s likely been torn in half.
There were moments when it looked like Arsenal were going to lose out again. They didn’t do it the easy way, they never have.
Alas, it was Manchester City who blinked first in the end to signal the beginning of a North London party.
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It speaks volumes about the kind of personnel that Arsenal have to call on that, even as the celebrations continue, they’re planning ahead for the summer transfer window.
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With the muscles of champions to flex, Andrea Berta is closing in on his first signing of the window. According to CBS Sports, Arsenal have agreed personal terms with Piero Hincapie to make his loan move from Bayer Leverkusen permanent this summer.
The Gunners are set to trigger their option to buy the centre-back in a deal worth £45m, before pushing on to seal his contract.
As far as loan moves go, the South American’s has been as successful as it gets and could still get even better with the Champions League final awaiting.
Hincapie certainly deserves plenty of credit for how he’s earned a permanent move to North London, too. After all, he didn’t initially convince everyone around the Emirates that he’s the man for the job.
It was only after a shaky start that he became an important part of Arteta’s side.
How £45m Hincapie followed Gabriel path to Arsenal move
The story of Hincapie’s season can be split in two. He’ll be the first to reflect on a tough first half. He was erratic at times and groin problems prevented him from gaining an immediate place in Arteta’s plans.
In fact, it was in matchday 13 when the defender first completed a full 90 for Arsenal in the Premier League, and that came against London rivals Chelsea.
Since then, he has played a crucial part – completing the full game 13 times in the 22 league games that followed. Any concern that he was becoming a liability has quickly been put to bed in that time. Instead, Hincapie’s versatility has turned him into an incredibly reliable option for Arteta.
It’s the same path that Gabriel once followed. Of course, the Brazilian is now one of the best defenders in the world, and certainly the most dangerous set-piece threat. But there was once a time when he was Arsenal’s biggest problem.
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand even went as far to say: “Rash… and I’ve said this about Gabriel a few times. He’s rash, he makes mad, wild decisions.”
Similar criticism from fans was aimed at Hincapie earlier this season, but just like Gabriel, he has responded in emphatic fashion to prove doubters wrong.
|
PL 25/26 |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
1,702 |
|
Tackles |
48 |
|
Duel success |
58.9% |
|
Defensive contributions |
166 |
|
Recoveries |
59 |
Hincapie has even done enough to earn the praise of Arteta following a remarkable turnaround. The Arsenal boss told reporters back in March: “When I spoke to Xabi just before we were going to sign him, I said if you have to describe him in one word, what would you use, and he said, ‘He’s a warrior’.
“He will play through brick walls for you and he’s one of the most competitive players that I have had. He’s come into the Premier League after surgery and a difficult start without a pre-season, and when you see him around his team-mates and competing on the pitch, it’s like he’s been here for 10 years.”
It’s hard to argue with that praise and it’s exactly why Hincapie is here to stay in North London.
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