Arsenal signing Tzolis earns new nickname after winning fitness test | OneFootball

Arsenal signing Christos Tzolis has been nicknamed ‘Leonidas’ after winning the club’s pre-season fitness challenge.

The 24-year-old has joined Arsenal from Club Brugge in a £34m deal and has made an immediate impression. Tzolis scored in Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Girona at the weekend and has caught the eye with his impressive performances in pre-season testing.

Tzolis led the Arsenal squad in a gruelling running challenge, which was a 1.4km shuttle run at full pace. His squad-leading speed and fitness has earned the Greek international the nickname ‘Leonidas’ from Arsenal’s fitness coaches, after the Gerard Butler character from the film 300.

“There are not all the players here,” Tzolis said to Sky Sports.

“There are still some players that have to do the tests, of course. But so far I’m first in the fitness test. It’s pretty hard.

“I had the advantage that I started pre-season also with Brugge so I was already training for two weeks and always I wanted to keep myself fit during summer so I was ready. I came here ready, my fitness level and I was happy that I could show it here as well.”

Follow the Football Faithful on Social Media:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTok