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Arsenal didn’t score a set-piece against Brighton, but Nicolas Jover was still in full celebration mode, piling praise on Piero Hincapie for his monstrous performance at the Amex.
Mikel Arteta’s coaching staff will be sensing that a Premier League title win could be on the cards after the Gunners’ statement win at Brighton.
The job is far from done, but as the victory was accompanied by Manchester City dropping points, the ball is in Arsenal’s court.
The best part? Arsenal did it all without a set-piece goal, but that didn’t stop Jover from celebrating jubilantly at full-time, as in the tunnel, he reserved special praise for Hincapie.
Have you ever seen a reaction like this from Arsenal fans during Mikel Arteta’s reign?
This felt very significant 🔜🏆❓
Nicolas Jover was right to praise Piero Hincapie after Arsenal’s win over Brighton
Arsenal don’t allow Jover to take part in media duties, keeping their set-piece coach under wraps to avoid the secret recipe being shared.
After the win at the Amex, the Frenchman couldn’t avoid the spotlight, as Arsenal’s social media team posted a video of the players passing through the tunnel into the dressing room.
Heading into the changing room, Jover was with Hincapie and said, “Que partido!” to the Ecuadorian, which translates to “What a match!”
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
Jover has given a lot of match-winning feedback to the Arsenal squad, but not a truer word has been spoken than his evaluation of Hincapie’s performance.
The defender was instrumental to Arsenal’s win, taking Gabriel Magalhaes to the wire to contend for the Man of the Match award.
With a monstrous 16 defensive contributions, the left-back was untouchable at the Amex, putting up a fight to win every ball and impose himself whenever he could.
The icing on the cake was when Hincapie put Fabian Hurzeler in his place, clearly tired of the Brighton manager’s attempt to rouse the media against Arsenal’s playing style.
The genius detail about Piero Hincapie’s transfer to Arsenal
Andrea Berta’s ability to sign a player of Hincapie’s calibre on an initial loan is becoming more and more mesmerising.
Prove me wrong: Piero Hincapie was Arsenal’s best signing of the summer transfer window
Getty Images/David Price/Arsenal FC
What’s even more incredible is that, as per Hand of Arsenal’s understanding, it was always the plan for Hincapie to become a permanent member of the squad.
What makes the loan even more impressive is that the £45m fee that Arsenal will hand Bayer Leverkusen will come out of the 2026/27 budget, rather than the 2025/26 one.
In an incredible deadline day deal, Berta secured a top-quality defender who ticks all boxes, being a key part of Arsenal’s title-contending form and a player whom the Gunners did not need to break the bank for.
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