With pre-season fixtures already on the horizon, Arsenal have completed a deal to make Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis their first summer signing. But who is the Greek international, what will he bring to the side and why is he costing £34 million?
Phil Costa reports.
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After some difficult years in the wilderness, defined by a lack of direction and unfulfilled potential, Greek football is having a renaissance and finally there are some young players to get excited about – and not just central defenders either. Greece have always been bottom heavy when it comes to the type of talent they produce: broad, grizzly brutes who will throw their bodies and square jaws in front of everything to avoid conceding goals.
But times are changing with Konstantinos Karetsas (18) breaking through, a gifted wide playmaker who is wanted by Borussia Dortmund after taking Belgium by storm. Christos Mouzakitis (19) and Charalambos Kostoulas (19) both impressed for Olympiacos before the latter was picked up by Brighton, alongside centre forward Stefanos Tzimas (20) who they also signed from FC Nurnberg last January. Five pounds to anyone who can get through that paragraph without stumbling.
However, Christos Tzolis has long been considered the crown jewel of this new generation and after putting in some hard yards across Europe, he joins Arsenal as Greece’s most expensive player and the Belgian Pro League’s record departure. Talk about a full circle moment for someone who made their Premier League debut almost exactly five years ago – away to Arsenal – with Mikel Arteta fighting for his job after three consecutive defeats to start the new season.
When Tzolis first broke through at PAOK and onto my radar during the initial COVID outbreak, he was much more Gabriel Martinelli than Leandro Trossard. The then-teenager was a direct, hard-running forward whose first thought was always about getting in behind and/or the quickest route to goal. But five years later he profiles more similarly to Trossard with added layers and nuance to his game (something I didn’t envisage), although that killer instinct has clearly stuck around.
The 24-year-old just enjoyed his most productive senior campaign with 22 goals and 29 assists across all competitions, and those kinds of numbers should perk the ears of any scout worth their salt. His 51 goal contributions were miles ahead of anybody else in Belgium with teammate Nicolo Tresoldi ranking second (32) across the season, while also leading all of Europe in combined xG+xA with 33.90 – a figure higher than Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappe.
So how did Tzolis develop into this output machine? To put it simply: he does a lot of good things close to goal. Playing primarily from the left, his superpower is the shift and shoot which sees him drift inside before finding the far corner with minimal backlift. The winger doesn’t always look pretty but manages to be effective with a direct (if slightly awkward) running style, keeping the ball close to his feet and firing at goal. He doesn’t lack confidence either, averaging 3.4 shots per 90 last term which places him well ahead of every other teammate and every Arsenal player as well.
Ten seconds into any compilation and you’ll see that Tzolis can whack a football. He can hit through the ball, he can bend the ball and he doesn’t need much time or space to get shots off, which feels important if you’re looking for more translatable qualities. Like our departing Belgian, the winger is always prepared to shoot on his weaker side and can threaten on the outside if his preferred option is blocked off, which applies to his crossing as well. There’s a general “threat level” he generates and if you’re averaging more penalty box touches per 90 than Vinicius Junior or Lamine Yamal, you’re doing something right.
The 24-year-old isn’t devastatingly quick but can still create separation when needed and backs himself to beat defenders one-v-one, completing more dribbles (40) and more progressive carries (359) than any other Pro League player last season. He plays with hustle and intensity, but what’s important is how naturally he gravitates towards central areas when coming in off the touchline – with some of his best football coming ahead of an overlapping full back who can drive beyond him. Maxim De Cuyper and Joaquin Seys both fulfilled that role to great effect for Club Brugge, which is something for Arteta to consider with his own left back options.
In terms of creativity, he’s not as inventive as Trossard or as crafty in close quarters, but there’s conviction in his final action that makes you feel safe. Whether it’s cutbacks across goal, high turnovers or opportunities in transition, the right option is usually taken with a deep breath and cool head – qualities that occasionally escape this current group. Not everything comes off but Tzolis created more chances (135) than any other Pro League player last season and his ability to unlock defences with cute, creative passes came on massively over the past two years.
It wouldn’t be an Arsenal signing without mentioning set pieces and we may have another card up our sleeve with this player. Arteta’s side scored a record 19 league goals from corners last season, plus a few more from free kicks, with Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka whipping in weapons of mass destruction at every opportunity. According to Opta, 52 of the 135 chances Tzolis created last term were from set piece situations (38%) which almost rivals Declan Rice (42%), so we basically just put out the Gabriel bat-signal.
There aren’t many negatives to pick at because he and Club Brugge steamrolled everything and everyone in their way last season. However, just as there were reservations about Viktor Gyokeres and who his goals were being scored against in Portugal, similar questions can be asked of Tzolis after running riot for twelve months.
According to the most recent Opta Power Rankings, the Belgian Pro League is considered the eighth-hardest in world football; sandwiched between the Championship in seventh and Liga Profesional (Argentina) in ninth. The standard of Belgian football has improved significantly in recent seasons but most of their top flight sides would still be considered Championship level, and some could even fall into League One territory.
That matters when your team scores three goals most weeks by virtue of turning up, although he did perform well in the Champions League with some noteworthy performances against Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Sporting. He managed just three goal contributions (2G, 1A) in Europe last term but his underlying metrics were solid which shows he can cause better players problems. This move does represent an obvious jump in quality, although his core skillset feels malleable enough to avoid nosebleeds at higher altitudes.
Despite ending their agonising wait for a Premier League title last season, it became increasingly clear that Arsenal had to refresh their attacking options and present a different face moving forward. Only three Champions have scored fewer goals than their 71 and Gyokeres was the only player to reach double figures (domestically); with Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze his nearest challengers on seven each. There is a peerless defensive quality running through the group but Arteta himself spoke about needing to score “at least 90-100 goals” to compete consistently at the highest level.
Losing someone as influential as Trossard is a blow but his departure probably came at the right time, with the club effectively signing his replacement for ~€20 million taking both fees into account. Tzolis won’t make you dream like a Bradley Barcola or Julian Alvarez, although I’m excited to see what we have with this player. There’s every chance it doesn’t work out, but I like that he arrives with some mystery and most of the reporting around this deal insists he will be a complementary piece to other business – not the only piece.
Something else to consider is that this pursuit was orchestrated by Maurizio Micheli (the club’s new Head of Scouting) whose eye for talent is encouraging having recommended signings like Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Marek Hamsik and Kalidou Koulibaly for Napoli.
This isn’t a glamorous name and Tzolis has certainly taken the scenic route to success after some inauspicious spells at Norwich, FC Twente before impressing at Fortuna Dusseldorf, but spending more on signings doesn’t guarantee success – in fact it’s the opposite. I’m happy for the club to gamble on players they believe could fit and in an increasingly bonkers market, £34 million is pocket change for one of the most productive players in European football.
Now it’s about translating that output to the Premier League, at the second attempt, and quite likely another debut at the Emirates Stadium.
