It's been obvious that this was coming for awhile now, and it's finally official. Eduardo Vargas is no longer a Napoli player, having signed with German club Hoffenheim after three and a half seasons of frustration.
Offiziell! Eduardo #Vargas wechselt zur #tsg. Willkommen! Zur Meldung: http://t.co/Dmx138qatb #tsg1899 pic.twitter.com/6MefqZaei5
— TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (@achtzehn99) August 24, 2025
Napoli are believed to be getting around €5 million for Vargas in the deal, which is a straight transfer at long last and not another loan with an option to buy. He's signed a four-year contract with Hoffenheim, and will hope to help them improve on their eighth-place finish last season that left them just two points out of a European place. Given the relatively thin depth up top that Die Kraichgauer have right now, it's easy to see Vargas being a big part of their team.
His Napoli career has been chaotic, at first forced to ride the bench by Walter Mazzarri, who barely seemed interested in looking at Vargas, much less playing him. He started a few European matches, but was never given even one start in the league despite some solid performances on the continent.
That eventually lead to a trio of loans, starting with a strong run with Gremio in Brazil that saw him play well in the Copa Libertadores. Once he came back to Napoli, though, it was straight off to Valencia for another loan despite Napoli probably being able to use another good forward right then, in the middle of the first season under Rafa Benitez. There he did well again, even if in only half a season, running rampant once he got back into playing shape and helping push Valencia to a surprise semifinal berth in the Europa League.
Last season's loan with QPR didn't work out nearly so well, but that team was a giant tire fire and he was used terribly for most of the season, played as a straight up turn-and-burn touchline winger, which is very much not a role Vargas is good at.
He's always been excellent for Chile, though, including a stunning Copa America tournament that saw him win the top scorer award while leading Chile to winning the Copa on home soil. That kicked off a summer of almost non-stop rumors of Vargas going to clubs all over Europe and even in South America, ultimately ending Monday with his signing for Hoffenheim.
Best of luck to you Vargas. You've always deserved a better chance than you were given at Napoli, and now you have it. Hopefully you take it with both hands and run away with it to great success.
