Albert “Sambi” Lokonga and Fabio Vieira have both left Arsenal to join Hamburger SV< who are back in the Bundesliga this season after an absence of seven years.
Both had been surplus deemed to requirements at the Emirates, and neither had participated in the pre-season tour to Asia.
Vieira had been attracting interest from a number of clubs, and Stuttgart were interested in a permanent deal for the 25-year-old. However, a sticking point proved to be Arsenal’s valuation of the player.
Instead the Gunners have agreed a deal with one of their Bundesliga rivals. He will now move to Hamburg for the coming season on an initial loan, with an option to buy worth in excess of ₤17.3 million. Arsenal will now be hoping that the Portuguese player performs sufficiently well in his new surroundings for them to want to make the move permanent.
The pair travelled to Germany to complete their moves.
