Arsenal hopes of significant summer sale fade as Andrea Berta agrees late loan departure

Fabio Vieira has completed his move to Hamburg following an agreement with the Bundesliga side. The Portuguese midfielder is set to sign on loan, with the German club having an option to make the move permanentthe following summer.

Vieira spent the previous campaign on loan with former club Porto, but there was no sign that the Liga Portugal team wanted to make the deal permanent. Since his move to Arsenal in 2022, Vieira has been unable to break into the side regularly.

He arrived alongside Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko in a summer that Arsenal have since moved on from all of their signings. Vieira failed to make a dent in Martin Odegaard's established place in the team, and with the emergence of Ethan Nwaneri and the signing of Eberechi Eze, that became almost impossible to expect.

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Arsenal had hoped to secure a permanent sale of the 25-year-old but have struggled to field interest in such a deal. Andrea Berta, conscious of the club's reputation in the market, was keen to ensure significant figures for players leaving, but interest was not forthcoming.

Vieira has made just 49 appearances for Arsenal, having been at the club for three years, one of which was spent on loan, scoring just three goals. Signed for £34million, it stands as the most unsuccessful significant investment in the transfer market since Mikel Arteta’s arrival at the end of 2019.

Arsenal have significantly improved on their signings since then and Vieira leaves during a summer where eight players have since come in, including the excitement around the aforementioned Eze. The Gunners will hope Vieira can have a strong season with Hamburg, and so they’re convinced to make the move a permanent one next summer.