Who are Edwin Quintero & Holger Quintero? Arsenal snap up 16-year-old Ecuadorian brothers
Expert insight from Ecuador
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Arsenal may be top of the Premier League this season, but the Gunners are already looking towards the future and on Thursday they announced that they have reached an agreement to sign twin brothers Edwin Quintero and Hólger Quintero from Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle. The twins are due to join the North London club in August 2027, when they turn 18 years of age. The highly rated 16-year-olds have grown up in Esmeraldas, Ecuador and they will follow in the footsteps of current Gunners defender Piero Hincapié, who was born in the same region of Ecuador and is also a product of Independiente del Valle’s famed academy.
That same academy also produced midfielder Moisés Caicedo, who is now one of the best midfielders in world football. Edwin and Hólger have both been capped at under-17 international level for Ecuador. In a club statement, Arsenal said: “We will be collaborating closely with Independiente del Valle on the development and well-being of both Edwin and Holger until they arrive. Everyone at Arsenal is excited to welcome the Quintero twins to the club in the near future.” With expert insight from Ecuador, Transfermarkt brings you more on Arsenal’s future talents.
How good are Edwin Quintero & Holger Quintero?
Christopher García is Transfermarkt’s Data Administrador and Content Manager in Ecuador and begins by describing how much excitement there is around the Quintero brothers in Ecuador: “The footballing world in Ecuador is very excited about the new generation of talent that is emerging. The Quintero brothers have been mentioned for about a year now, and expectations are very high. They are considered generational talents who could reach the level of Caicedo one day, especially given the fact that they have been sold to a giant in England. Much is expected of them, and the Ecuadorian media will be eagerly following their progress after their transfer to Arsenal.”
García then explains more about what type of player winger Edwin is: “Edwin is a right winger who stands out for his speed and agility, which allows him to change direction with ease. He is fast over long distances, so he covers a lot of ground in the opponent’s half. He is left-footed and a very skilful player.” He then reveals what we can expect from playmaker Hólger: Hólger is a very skilled midfielder with great dribbling, technique, creativity, and speed. He is considered a once-in-a-generation talent and has been compared to Ousmane Dembelé and even Neymar.”
García finishes by explaining more about how Indpendiente del Valle (IDV) continue to produce such talent: “IDV began as a long-term project, and its efforts have been bearing fruit in recent years. They have a scouting network that searches for talent throughout Ecuador. Children are recruited and taken to their high-performance complex, where they not only work on their soccer skills but also on their academics, creating values and a solid mindset to develop future soccer players and stars in Ecuador.” It certainly seems to be working at the moment, and Arsenal will hope that can now benefit them in unearthing a couple of gems.
