Arsenal midfielder signs for Hamburg | OneFootball

Albert Sambi Lokonga has ended his four-year stay at Arsenal, completing a permanent transfer to Hamburg SV for a fee understood to be in the region of £2.5 million.

The Bundesliga club accelerated negotiations in the final days of the window and concluded the deal after the 25-year-old Belgian midfielder passed his medical in Germany over the weekend.

Arsenal have inserted a sell-on clause as part of the agreement, having already activated a one-year extension earlier this summer to protect some of his his value.

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Hamburg saw off competition from PAOK, who had tracked Lokonga throughout the summer, but were unable to complete any deal. The Germans’ need for a ball-carrying midfielder to anchor their return to the top flight ensured they pushed the deal through ahead of Monday’s deadline.

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Lokonga joined Arsenal from Anderlecht in 2021 for £17.2 million but never secured a regular place. He made 39 appearances, the last in January 2023, before loan spells at Crystal Palace, Luton Town and Sevilla.

Though he travelled with the squad during pre-season, he has played no part in competitive fixtures and was considered surplus after midfield reinforcements arrived.

At 25, he now takes on a new challenge in Germany, with Hamburg banking on his experience and technical qualities to improve their midfield.

“I was warmly welcomed here and can hardly wait to get started working with these lovely people,” Lokonga said. “I’m a team player. I really want to use my quality to help the team – whether through goals, assists, or defensive work. I just want to get going. I want to get out onto the field and play football.”

He will wear the number six.

For Arsenal, his departure brings to a close a move that never truly delivered, while for Lokonga it represents a genuine opportunity to reset his career in a league well-suited to his style.