Ex-Norwich City star Christoph Zimmermann reacts to Christos Tzolis's Arsenal transfer | OneFootball

Christoph Zimmermann couldn't have envisaged the career that Christos Tzolis has had since leaving Norwich City

Christos Tzolis was never able to reach his potential at Norwich City, but two years on from officially leaving Carrow Road, he's just signed for Premier League champions Arsenal.

The Gunners have spent £34 million on the versatile forward, and for good reason, too, after he scored 43 goals and assisted a further 45 in 108 appearances over the past couple of campaigns for Belgian side Club Brugge.

Those kinds of numbers seemed almost impossible to envisage during his two years at Norwich, where he found the net just three times in 30 games in all competitions and was largely ineffective for a Canaries side who came bottom in the Premier League in the 2021/22 campaign and then finished 13th in the Championship the year after.

How Christos Tzolis earned his £34 million move to Arsenal

Action Images

The only way was up for Tzolis after he left Norwich, and his potential started to show in his final loan spell away from Carrow Road with German second-tier side Fortuna Düsseldorf.

The 2023/24 campaign with Fortuna saw the Greek international net 22 times in league action and assist a further seven, while also helping his side reach the DFB-Pokal semi-finals, where they fell to Bayer Leverkusen in the midst of their invincibles campaign in the Bundesliga.

Düsseldorf would throw away a three-goal lead in the relegation play-off against Bochum, losing on penalties, but the German side still exercised their option to buy Tzolis and then sold him to Club Brugge mere days later.

Tzolis would showcase his quality both in Europe and in domestic action while in the Belgian capital, and last season ended the campaign with 22 goals and 29 assists in all competitions, helping Brugge regain the Pro League title.

Christoph Zimmermann reacts to Christos Tzolis Arsenal transfer

Action Images

Not many Norwich fans or Premier League supporters would have seen the potential for Tzolis to be playing for one of the best clubs in the World just five years on from his sole English top-flight campaign back in 2021/22.

His teammates at Carrow Road may have seen it in bursts, but even they can admit that they didn't see such a rapid rise to prominence away from Norwich.

Speaking to Hayters, former Canaries centre-back Christoph Zimmermann spoke about Tzolis' move to Arsenal. The 33-year-old spent the 2021/22 campaign at Norwich alongside the winger in what was the final campaign of his five-year stay at Carrow Road.

"You could see what he brought and the attributes he was going to add to the group that we didn't have before," he said. "You could see the potential. You could see why we wanted to sign him or why we did.

"But it would be too easy for me to say now that you could always see he was going to play for Arsenal or one of the top teams in the Premier League one day. I'm not going there because, at the time, not too many of us would have seen that coming.

"But what you must always take into consideration is his age, the experience and what it all teaches you. Living abroad and playing in those sorts of leagues. Then afterwards playing in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.

"It all adds up to your quality in the end, and it's probably just taken those couple of extra years to get him that move to Arsenal. But potential-wise, you could definitely understand why we signed him."

Norwich City fans already have Christos Tzolis transfer envy, and that could increase next season

Action Images

With Tzolis coming in to effectively replace influential wideman Emi Buendia, who won the Championship's Player of the Season in Norwich's title-winning campaign in 2020/21, there were always going to be high expectations and big shoes to fill.

The winger joined aged just 19 for £8.8 million, having played his entire career in his native Greece with PAOK before his move to the Premier League.

The English top-flight can be a difficult campaign to adjust to at the best of times, but when expectations are already high to replace someone who registered 31 goal contributions the previous year, it was always going to be tough for the teenager.

A couple of goals and a couple of assists in a 6-0 demolition of AFC Bournemouth in the EFL Cup that year showed his class, but that wouldn't be replicated in league action. He was an unused substitute 16 times that year, as Daniel Farke and then Dean Smith couldn't get the best out of him.

With him setting the Belgian league alight, the Canaries were feeling some envy that they weren't able to see that quality at Carrow Road, but at least he was doing it abroad. Now, with him joining, statistically, the current best team in the country, his talents will be on show for everyone to see more regularly.

Not many would have expected Tzolis to be playing for Arsenal five years ago, and if he lives up to expectations, Norwich fans will be even more frustrated that they weren't able to provide the environment to realise his potential.