Chelsea will be looking to close the gap with London rivals Arsenal after finishing behind them in the Premier League table last season.
Arsenal ended the campaign in second place with 74 points, while Chelsea came fourth after picking up 69 points.
It is not the largest gap, but the season before the difference between the two sides was a whopping 26 points.
Ultimately, Chelsea are behind their London rivals at this moment in time, and that is unlikely to change if the Gunners get their hands on one of the Blues’ reported transfer targets. Chelsea have been linked with Piero Hincapie, but it looks like he could be heading to the Emirates.
Last week, it was reported that Chelsea were weighing up making a bid for Hincapie. However, that has not happened, which is great news for Arsenal.
Arsenal are interested in signing the Bayer Leverkusen star and appear to be in the driver’s seat for his signature.
According to the reliable Fabrizio Romano, Hincapie is sold on their project and is keen to move to the Emirates.
Hincapie has a £52m release clause in his contract, making him a very attainable target during this final part of the transfer window.
The 23-year-old is an experienced defender who is great on the ball. As per FBref, he ranks in the 95th percentile for progressive carries and the 86th for progressive passes among the centre-halves in Europe’s top five leagues.
All in all, Hincapie looks like he has the potential to fill in for the injured Levi Colwill in Enzo Maresca‘s system, but it appears that the Blues are not going to head in that direction.
Instead of prioritising a move for Hincapie or another central defender, Chelsea are urging Maresca to put faith in the options that he already has.
For example, it is thought that Chelsea envision Jorrel Hato playing in central defence following Colwill‘s injury.
Whether Hato can build play from the middle in Maresca’s set-up like Colwill remains to be seen, but even if he can, not signing a new centre-half still seems like a gamble.
Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile’s injury records are a concern, with the latter currently sidelined.
When you consider all of the above, Maresca probably needs Hincapie more than Arteta, who already has the likes of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, two extremely reliable centre-halves.
Ahead of next Monday’s transfer deadline, though, everything is now pointing towards Arsenal landing the Ecuador international.
