Arsenal agreed to take a massive loss on Albert Sambi Lokonga after selling the midfielder on transfer deadline day.
The Gunners paid £17.2m to sign Belgium international Lokonga from Anderlecht in the summer of 2021.
Lokonga made 24 appearances during his first season at the Emirates Stadium but only 15 more before being sold to Hamburg at the end of the summer transfer window.
Arsenal hoped the 25-year-old would benefit from a series of loan spells – at fellow Premier League clubs Crystal Palace and Luton Town and La Liga side Sevilla – but ultimately put him up for sale.
The Gunners were initially believed to have raised around £2.5m from the sale of Lokonga but German outlet Bild have revealed Hamburg have in fact paid Arsenal just £260,000.
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Arsenal may receive some more cash if add-ons are met but the deal still represents a huge loss for a player Mikel Arteta had high hopes for.
‘Albert is a very intelligent player who has shown great maturity,’ Gunners boss Arteta said following his arrival at the club in 2021. ‘He has been coached well by Vincent Kompany and his team at Anderlecht.
‘I know Vincent very well and he talks so highly about Albert and the positive impact he had to Anderlecht in recent seasons.
‘We’re confident Albert’s ready for the next stage in his development and we’re looking forward to welcoming a new member to our squad with his quality and presence.’
Arsenal technical director Edu added: ‘There was a lot of interest in Albert and he was a big target for us. He will bring us strength in depth in the centre of midfield.’
Lokonga was not the only player to swap Arsenal for Hamburg this summer, with Fabio Vieira heading to the German club on loan.
Vieira, who made 49 appearances for the Gunners following his £30m move from Porto in 2022, could join Hamburg on a permanent transfer next summer.
Hamburg board member Stefan Kuntz said in a statement: ‘Fabio is a classic playmaker who brings a lot of creativity.
‘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.
The Bundesliga club’s sporting director Claus Costa added: ‘Fabio is technically strong and has a lot of creativity.
‘He 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.’
Jakub Kiwior also left Arsenal on deadline day following Piero Hincapie’s arrival from Bayer Leverkusen.
Kiwior speaks out on Arsenal exit
Discussing the protracted speculation surrounding his future at Arsenal, Kiwior said: ‘It was difficult to say goodbye to Arsenal, because I didn’t know when it would actually happen.
‘If I had known the exact day in advance, I would have had time to prepare. In the last three days there, I didn’t know which would actually be my last.
‘Fabrizio Romano launched the ‘here we go’ campaign, and I started receiving dozens of messages and calls congratulating me.
‘I was starting training… the players looked at it on their phones and asked me why I was training when it [the deal] was already closed.
‘I refused to say goodbye there because I still didn’t have any information about what might or might not happen.
‘The next day, I knew I could say goodbye again. I went to the pitch to say goodbye to my teammates and the coach [Mikel Arteta].
‘They set up a farewell tunnel, and it was tough… not everyone I wanted to say goodbye to was there, so I still had to make a few phone calls.’
Poland international Kiwior joined Porto on a season-long loan deal with an obligation to buy next summer for £24m.
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