Arsenal confirm double signing of highly-rated Ecuadorian twins with teenagers set to arrive in 2027

Following earlier reports suggesting a deal was close to being completed, Arsenal confirmed on Thursday they had triggered an agreement to sign both Edwin and Holger, with the transfers subject to the completion of regulatory processes. Should everything go through as planned, the 16-year-olds will arrive at the Emirates Stadium in August 2027, when they turn 18.

In a statement on their official club website, Arsenal said: “Edwin and Holger are recognised as two of the most exciting young talents in South America, displaying consistent and impressive performances at youth level for club and country. Both players have been capped at U17 international level for Ecuador.

“Edwin is left-footed, quick and a skilful dribbler. He operates as a right winger, likes to take on opponents and has a catalogue of skills. Holger is a technically gifted, right-footed, attacking midfielder who links play with his progressive vision and also possesses the ability to beat opponents with quick feet.

“We will be collaborating closely with Independiente del Valle on the development and wellbeing of both Edwin and Holger until they arrive at Arsenal. Everyone at Arsenal is excited to welcome the Quintero twins to the club in the near future.”

When the transfers go through as expected, Edwin and Holger will follow in the footsteps of current Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie, who was also born in Esmeraldas, Ecuador. 

Like the twins, the 23-year-old - who has earned 50 caps for his country - was also a product of Independiente del Valle’s famed youth academy, which also produced Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo and Paris Saint-Germain defender William Pacho.

A summer signing from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, Hincapie has caught the eye after being brought into the Arsenal defence to replace the injured Gabriel Magalhaes.

The left-footed centre-back starred in Arsenal’s 4-1 Premier League win over Tottenham in the north London derby on 23 November before going on to feature in the 1-1 draw at Chelsea last Sunday and Wednesday’s 2-0 victory over high-flying Brentford.

Praising Hincapie’s impact alongside William Saliba in the win over fierce rivals Spurs, Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta said: “We believe that it was the best partnership [Saliba and Hincapie] to start with.

“We are going to have the absence of Gabi for a few weeks and we want to replace that stability that we had in the past. He [Hincapie] has won the league in Germany. For his age already, he has a lot of football in his legs.”

Arsenal’s victory over Brentford saw them restore their lead at the top of the table to five points following second-placed Manchester City’s breathless 5-4 win over Fulham on Tuesday evening.

Goals from Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka did the damage for Arteta’s side, who face a tricky test when they travel to third-placed Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon. 

The Villa Park club, led by former Arsenal boss Unai Emery, are enjoying a remarkable run of form at the moment, having won seven of their last eight games in all competitions.

On the back of the Brentford game, Arsenal are now set to play a further seven fixtures across three competitions in December, with manager Arteta voicing his frustration at the lack of rest being afforded to his players.

He said: “It’s probably not one thing, but we can help the players and everybody in the league and everybody to do what we have to do, give it another day. Especially the teams that are playing so much in Europe. 

“To everybody in general, I think we can do that because we're going to benefit from that. We've never had such a schedule on every level, not only in the Premier League, but every competition internationally as well. So we need to try to do that, please. I think it's common sense. 

“I think at some point this becomes too much, you know, and the players are not machines. But we have to try to do that when we can.”