Tottenham Hotspur are interested in snapping up Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie, who has opened up about his career influences.
Ben Davies has shifted to play as a left-sided centre back under Antonio Conte, featuring in a three-man back line.
Davies isn’t a natural there though, and Tottenham may well consider making a signing in that area of the pitch this summer.
One of the targets appears to be Hincapie, with Bolavip claiming that Tottenham are interested in a deal for the Ecuadorian.
Snapped up from Argentinian side Talleres last summer, Hincapie has made an instant impact in the Bundesliga.
Not the tallest defender of all time but quick and a fine reader of the game, Hincapie has impressed as a left-sided centre back.
At just 20, Hincapie has huge potential for the future and is merely scratching the surface having made fewer than 50 domestic appearances in his career.
Tottenham fans may not know all that much about Hincapie, but he has been speaking to Scouted Football about his style of play.
Hincapie admitted that he actually started his career as a winger, comparing himself to Neymar having been a ‘great goalscorer’ as a kid.
That explains Hincapie’s ability on the ball, and he added that he loved watching Sergio Ramos and especially Carles Puyol to enhance his defensive game.
“I’ve always liked to play with the ball. When I started as a kid I played much more offensively, as a winger,” said Hincapie. “I used to score a lot of goals. I was like Neymar, I didn’t dribble as much as him but I was a great goalscorer. I even took free kicks! Maybe that’s why I’m now a centre-back who likes to go forward.”
“On Fridays, when we travelled by bus for seven or eight hours to play for Independiente del Valle, I watched a lot of videos of Puyol and Sergio Ramos. I watched the videos so I wouldn’t get bored on the bus and that’s when I realised that I really liked Puyol. He had a special way of playing, perhaps less technical than Ramos, but he was a leader and captain. One of the best centre-backs I’ve ever seen.”
The most intriguing part from Hincapie surrounded Cristian Romero – the current Tottenham Hotspur defender.
Hincapie claims his own brother thinks there are real similarities between his game and Romero’s, adding that he likes Romero ‘a lot’.
“My brother tells me I’m a lot like him, I like him a lot,” Hincapie added.
Being more than comfortable on the ball and aggressive defensively, Hincapie may well be what Fabio Paratici and Conte are looking for in the Tottenham defence.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
