Tottenham Hotspur are closely monitoring Ecuadorian centre-back Piero Hincapie ahead of the January transfer window.
This has been suggested by journalist Ryan Taylor, who has been speaking on Chris Cowlin’s YouTube channel amid the 20-year-old defender’s World Cup outings.
The Bayer Leverkusen defender is currently playing his football in Qatar for Ecuador and has featured in both of their opening two group games.
Ahead of the upcoming winter market, it has been heavily suggested that Spurs will be looking to bring in a new centre-back to bolster Antonio Conte’s options at the back.
However, it seems as if they may not be the only ones showing an interest in the 20-year-old, with reports claiming Chelsea are also showing their admiration for the defender:
Taylor said: “He’s a player that’s been tracked quite closely by Spurs, because the impact he’s made in Europe since arriving from South America has actually been really impressive. And he’s a player that’s really highly thought of in Germany, so that’s one that Spurs have continued to look at, but they’re not the only club doing so.”
TIF Thoughts on Taylor’s comments…
Despite being just 20 years of age, Hincapie has now become a regular starter in the Leverkusen side, with 13 appearances in the Bundesliga this season already (via Transfermarkt).
Would Hincapie be a good addition?
Yes
No
However, he has shown clear signs of inexperience, with two red cards already to his name in the German top flight this season, and alongside the often ill-disciplined Cristian Romero, this could potentially be a big risk for Spurs.
It is still early days in his career and there is clearly a lot of upside, with the defender ranking highly for tackles, completed dribbles and progressive carries (via FBref).
But having shown some impressive displays in the World Cup, Tottenham’s pursuit of the player could now come at a bigger expense to the transfer kitty.