Tim Vickery has claimed that he would be ‘a little worried’ about Tottenham transfer target, Piero Hincapie, and his ‘lack of physicality’, as he told Sky Sports News (19/06/22 at 3:05 pm).
The South American football expert offered an insight into Tottenham being keen on the £34 million-rated Ecuadorian defender this summer and how he has been ‘very, very impressed’ by his progress.
Hincapie is currently donning the colours of Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga and his performances have caught the eye of those teams in the Premier League.
Tottenham aren’t the only ones keen to add the left-sided centre-back to their ranks this summer, with the big-money pockets of Newcastle also lurking in the background, according to TMW.
Either way, this was the insight Vickery shared on Hincapie and his recent rise into first-team stardom, for both club and country.
“This is another where I have just been delighted to have been proved wrong,” said Vickery. “He’s first-choice for Ecuador. He’s a left-sided centre-back.
“He has a nice left foot. Brings the ball out of defence very well. Making it interesting perhaps for a back three formation. If you are going to play a three, then two of those must be able to bring the ball out of defence.
“When he went into the Ecuador team a year ago, the Ecuador coach was really throwing in youth. When he threw him in I thought ‘no’. During that Copa America, he was making a howler a game.
“But if you are a centre-back, then you have to make mistakes as you develop. Subsequently, he moved already from Ecuador to Argentina and he had a good season in Argentina. He’s done very, very well in the Bundesliga as well.
“Again, I would be a little bit worried at a lack of physicality. But I have been very, very impressed by his progress. And I have learnt to trust the judgement of Alfaro, the Ecuador coach because he keeps going for youth.”
CONTE NEEDS MORE DEPTH AT THE BACK
Tottenham have been pretty busy during the early stages of the summer transfer window, with Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster and Yves Bissouma already snapped up.
Antonio Conte needs another centre-back, it’s obvious he is looking for another one, as well as a right-sided wing-back to provide competition for Emerson Royal.
If Spurs were to sign Hincapie, then he will be hoping to have a similar impact to another thriving South American star in north London – Cristian Romero.
The Argentina international has made the world of difference at the back for Spurs, alongside the leader at the back in Eric Dier and the rejuvenated, Ben Davies.
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