Is Christos Tzolis ready for Arsenal and the Premier League? | OneFootball

Arsenal, according to David Ornstein, have agreed a fee of €40m with Club Brugge to sign their Greek star Christos Tzolis. The winger has been a key player for Club Brugge over the past two seasons and now has earned his way back to English football and the Premier League. However, is the 24-year-old ready for a step up to the Premier League with Arsenal?

I have watched a lot of Tzolis over the past three seasons, firstly with Fortuna Düsseldorf and then with Club Brugge. During his one year stay in the 2 Bundesliga, he was head and shoulders above the rest of the league. Tzolis had put his struggles with Norwich City behind him to score an incredible 24 goals in 37 games. Fortuna Düsseldorf missed out on promotion in a dramatic promotion play-off against Bochum. Had they won promotion, the plan had been to keep Tzolis by picking up the around €5m purchase option.

For Fortuna Düsseldorf, this was a lot of money, and missing out on the promotion to the Bundesliga meant they had to work out if it was worth the gamble. In the end, they made the decision that they would be able to make a profit on Tzolis after such a great season. They were right, and Club Brugge were the club that helped them out. For Tzolis, this was his chance to really prove himself. After a breakout season with PAOK during the 2020/2021 season, with 15 goals and six assists in 46 games, he had struggled to have any impact with Norwich or even FC Twente on loan.

Yet Tzolis had learned something in Dusseldorf. He stepped up with Club Brugge and continued his fine scoring record and added even more creativity. He played well in the Champions League for Club Brugge and ended the season with 21 goals and 14 assists in 56 games. Perhaps he had now found his level, but the 2025/2026 season proved that Tzolis had not fully reached his potential. Club Brugge won their 20th league title and Tzolis was the key man, providing 22 goals and an incredible 29 assists. Three of these goals and five of the assists came during the Champions League, highlighting that Tzolis can do it at the highest level of European football.

Arsenal is a much bigger step to take than the 2 Bundesliga to the Belgian Pro League, but over the past three seasons Tzolis has shown that he is a quality player that should be playing in one of the major European leagues. His temperament will also be something that Arsenal will have focused on. When it mattered, Tzolis often delivered for Club Brugge, especially last season when they won the league.

He created more chances than any other winger in the Belgian Pro League and was a nightmare for many a Pro League defender. Other clubs will certainly be happy to see the back of Tzolis, but Club Brugge fans will certainly miss the Greek magician. He will be hard to replace, but Club Brugge have constantly faced the prospect of having to replace quality players. More often than not, they find a solution from somewhere.

For Arsenal, fans should also take comfort in the fact that the Belgian Pro League is a physical league, so Tzolis should be able to adapt to the rigour of the Premier League. He certainly has the technical ability to play in the English top flight and should prove a reliable replacement for Leandro Trossard. Where may differ from Trossard is that he can produce moments of magic. Many times during his time at both Fortuna Düsseldorf and Club Brugge, Tzolis was responsible for turning a game on its head with a wonderful goal or an assist. All eyes will now be on whether Tzolis is capable of doing that for Arsenal next season.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson