Arsenal allowed £47m of talent leave for just £260k on transfer deadline day

Arsenal’s desperation to offload their fringe players was obvious on transfer deadline day, with sporting director Andrea Berta battling to balance the books after a busy window. The Gunners spent over £250million on new players and needed outgoings to thin out Mikel Arteta’s squad.

Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Norgaard, Eberechi Eze, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Piero Hincapie all arrived to bolster Arteta’s squad. And once the Hincapie loan from Bayer Leverkusen was secured, Berta’s focus switched to outgoings.

Arsenal completed six deals for exits on deadline day, waving goodbye to Oleksandr Zinchenko, who joined Nottingham Forest on loan, Jakub Kiwior, who left for Porto, Reiss Nelson, who was loaned to Brentford, and Lucas Nygaard, who went to Brabrand on loan. They also did a double deal with Hamburg, sending midfielders Fabio Vieira and Albert Sambi Lokonga to the German club.

Vieira joined Arsenal from Porto for £30m in the summer of 2022, but never managed to secure a place in Arteta’s side. The playmaker has three goals and 10 assists in 49 appearances altogether for Arsenal but has now joined Hamburg on a season-long loan after spending last season at Porto on loan.

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Sambi Lokonga joined from Anderlecht in 2021 for £17m, and after loan spells at Crystal Palace, Luton and Sevilla, has left for Hamburg on a permanent deal. The midfielder made 39 appearances for Arsenal without recording a goal or an assist and Bild has explained just how little the Gunners have earned from the double deal with Hamburg.

Sambi Lokonga has been sold for just €300,000 (£260,000) plus bonuses, having entered the final year of his contract, while the newly-promoted Bundesliga club won’t have to even pay a loan fee for Vieira if he plays regularly. Meanwhile, if Hamburg stay up then they can sign the 25-year-old for €20m (£17m), with the fee stemming from the fact he still has two years left on his Arsenal contract.

Hamburg feel they have secured excellent deals for both players, with Arsenal’s bargaining power reduced as the summer transfer window ticked down. The Gunners waved goodbye to 12 first-team players this summer and needed to wrap up deals on deadline day for financial reasons.

“Fabio is a classic playmaker who brings a lot of creativity,” Hamburg board member Stefan Kuntz said in a club statement. “We were determined to strengthen our midfield. With the signing of Fabio, we have filled the last vacant position with a high-quality player. He will give our offense even more options.”

Sporting director Claus Costa added: “Fabio is technically strong with an excellent left foot. He has a lot of creativity and can provide decisive impetus in the final third with his final and penultimate passes. He’s an asset to our team as an initiator of offensive play and a long-range threat.”

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