Arsenal transfers in focus
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On Thursday, Premier League leaders Arsenal announced that they had reached an agreement with Ecuadorian club Independiente del Valle to sign twin brothers Edwin Quintero and Hólger Quintero. The two young talents are set to join the North London club in August 2027, when they turn 18. Transfermarkt takes a look at the two promising talents.
The highly touted 16-year-olds grew up in Esmeraldas, Ecuador and will follow in the footsteps of current Gunners defender Piero Hincapié, who was born in the same region of Ecuador and also hails from the famous Independiente del Valle academy.
Chelsea’s Moisés Caicedo, who is now one of the best midfielders in the world, also comes from the same forge. Edwin and Hólger have both already played international matches for the Ecuador U17 national team. In a club statement, Arsenal said: “We will work closely with Independiente del Valle until their arrival to ensure the development and welfare of Edwin and Holger. Everyone at Arsenal looks forward to welcoming the Quintero twins to the club in the near future.”
Arsenal FC: How good are Edwin Quintero and Holger Quintero?
Christopher García is data scout and content manager for Transfermarkt in Ecuador and reports on the great enthusiasm surrounding the Quintero brothers in their home country: “The football scene in Ecuador is looking with great hope at the new generation of talent that is currently emerging. The Quintero brothers have been in discussion for about a year and the expectations of them are extremely high. They are considered to be talents of the century who could one day reach the level of Caicedo, especially because they have already been sold to a top English club. The expectations of them are big and their development after moving to London will be followed with interest.”
With regard to winger Edwin, García attests: “He stands out on the right side with his speed and agility. He is a very strong runner and therefore covers a lot of space in the opponent’s half. He is left-footed and a very technically adept player.” His brother and playmaker Hólger impresses “with great dribbling, technique, creativity and speed. He is considered a unique talent and is compared to Ousmane Dembelé and even Neymar,” said the TM expert.
García is sure that Independiente del Valle’s youth factory will continue to produce talents like Quintero in the future: “Independiente started as a long-term project and the work there has borne fruit in recent years. The club has a scouting network that looks for talent throughout Ecuador. Young people are recruited and brought to their high-performance complex, where they work not only on their football skills, but also on their academic education. This creates values and a solid mentality as a basis to develop future football players and stars develop.”
The Quinteros are the best proof that this is currently working – and Arsenal are hoping that they will benefit from this with the youngsters. “We will work closely with Independiente del Valle to ensure the development and well-being of Edwin and Holger until their arrival at Arsenal,” the club said on Thursday.