Hamburg board member Eric Huwer has made it clear he wants to keep Arsenal’s Fábio Vieira.
The attacking midfielder joined the Gunners from FC Porto in June 2022 for €35m. He was not able to cement a place under Mikel Arteta at the Emirates in his first two seasons.
To put it in context, he played 1,886 minutes from 49 matches during that period, scoring three goals and contributing 10 assists.
In August 2024, the player returned to Porto on a season-long loan. Last summer, Arsenal sent him on loan again, this time to the Bundesliga side with a €20m option to buy.
Two months ago, Sport Witness relayed news that Hamburg will hold talks with Arteta’s side for the 25-year-old in April or May.
Decision down to Arsenal player
Hamburger Abendblatta newspaper local to the German club, have a detailed interview with Eric Huwer. At Hamburg, he is in charge of their ‘finance, organisation, human resources and legal affairs’.
The board member has heaped praise on sporting director Claus Costa for securing loan deals for Fábio Vieira and Tottenham Hotspur’s Luka Vušković. The 19-year-old central defender has been a standout player for the club and has attracted interest from several clubs.
“Last summer, we were looking for players in various positions. In defence and midfield, we brought in Vušković and Vieira, two players we could only sign on loan,” he said.
“We also had candidates in both positions whom we could have signed permanently despite the considerable transfer fees. However, I think we didn’t make any completely wrong decisions with Vušković and Vieira.
“In the end, Claus and his team didn’t even exhaust their budget, not even in the winter transfer window, and yet they still built a squad that is more than competitive given the available market conditions.”
The newspaper immediately asked whether the Arsenal owned player can extend his stay.
Responding to that, Huwer explained: “The situation is relatively relaxed. Fábio feels very comfortable in Hamburg, and I don’t get the impression that Arsenal is basing its long-term plans on him.”
“Fábio knows exactly what he has in Hamburg and at HSV. The fundamental question now is what the player wants. And if he wants to stay, then we’ll sit down with the Arsenal management and discuss possible solutions, similar to what we did with Sambi.”
“Then we’ll see if a transfer is possible. We’re ready to experience special moments with Fábio in the long term. Whether that works out and at what price, we’ll see in the summer.”
Our take: Why Hamburg won’t activate clause
Fábio Vieira’s Bundesliga stats this season are as follows:
- Appearances: 22
- Starts: 18
- Total minutes: 1,599
- Goals: 5
- Assists: 5
The German club have an option to buy by activating the €20m clause but are unlikely to take it.
The Portuguese will have a year left on his Arsenal contract after this s season. His value, as per Transfer marketis €18m.
Eric Huwer says he isn’t part of the Gunners’ long-term plans. Taking this and his contract situation into account, Hamburg will certainly ask for a huge discount to buy him. This is only if the player wants to extend his stay.
🇪🇸 Victor Valdepeñas | Arsenal in mix for Real Madrid youngster
💫 Once seen as ‘chosen one’ of La Fabrica
➡️ Next few weeks should bring clarity #afc— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) April 2, 2026
