Arsenal News
Why Christos Tzolis arrives at Arsenal with questions still to answer
Arsenal have signed Christos Tzolis, but his Premier League return still carries clear questions.
Arsenal have added Christos Tzolis as their third signing since lifting the Premier League title last season, paying a reported £34 million ($45.4 million) to bring him from Club Brugge.
The Greek winger has joined on a “long-term contract”, although the club have not disclosed its length. In practical terms, he looks like the direct replacement for Leandro Trossard on the left side, after the Belgian moved to Beşiktaş earlier this month. For Arsenal, it is a clear case of improving a squad that already holds the status of reigning Premier League champions.
Tzolis will wear the No. 17 shirt, a number last used by Oleksandr Zinchenko and previously associated with Alexis Sánchez and Emmanuel Petit in an Arsenal context.
His output for Club Brugge was striking. Last season he delivered 51 goals and assists in 52 appearances across all competitions, while there was also the claim that he caught the eye of Arsenal’s assistant sporting director, Maurizio Micheli, during Greece’s match against Sweden last month.
Sporting director Andrea Berta has already highlighted the traits Arsenal believe will translate. He has spoken of Tzolis’ “extreme versatility” and his ability to be “comfortable across the front line.” In the club’s announcement, Berta added: “He’s an excellent finisher with both feet, thrives in tight spaces, and possesses incredible technical ability.
“Christos has produced outstanding numbers in terms of goals and assists over the last three seasons, and he’s a player who will raise the technical level of our squad, while bringing positive energy, enthusiasm, and a strong mentality to our team. We’re confident Christos will make a significant contribution to our club, and we hope our supporters will enjoy watching him play.”
Tzolis described his own game in similarly direct terms: “I’m a direct player, I go for goals or assists. That’s my point of view as an attacker, as a winger. I’m always hungry to score or to give the final pass to my teammates. And I can say I work hard for the team, also in the defensive part.”
There is Premier League history behind him, but it was a difficult first chapter. Signed by Norwich City at 19, he spent most of the 2021-22 season on the bench and managed no direct goal involvement in 14 appearances. A reset followed via the EFL Championship, a loan move to FC Twente, and then a prolific spell in the 2. Bundesliga with Fortuna Düsseldorf, where he scored 22 league goals before Club Brugge moved for him.
The challenge now is obvious. He is stepping into a stronger Arsenal side, but also moving from a Belgian Pro League that is viewed as Europe’s 12th strongest domestic league in 2026-27.
Arsenal
Arsenal’s Preseason Questions: Five Players Under Pressure
Arsenal’s summer plans could reshape roles, and five players must prove they belong in preseason.
Arsenal do not need a major overhaul this summer, but the battle for places is set to intensify. With that in mind, preseason offers several players a chance to strengthen their case before the 2026/27 campaign gets underway.
To manage the risk of fatigue after a demanding 2025-26 season and the tournament that followed, Arsenal will not travel far for preseason. Instead, they are keeping preparations relatively local as they build toward another long season, with the Community Shield and Premier League defence approaching.
New arrivals are expected, though they have not yet landed, and any fresh faces could alter the current hierarchy. Even so, five players in particular enter the summer needing to make an impression.
The left wing is one of the most uncertain areas. Christos Tzolis appears to be arriving to replace Leandro Trossard, while Gabriel Martinelli’s future also remains open. The Brazilian has not fully pushed on since his breakout 2022-23 season, and most of his end product last term came in the domestic cups. Arsenal are not pushing him out, but his role will be watched closely, especially after Carlo Ancelotti used him closer to the striker for the national team at the World Cup.
Martín Zubimendi will report back in north London as a world champion, yet his second season could be shaped by the competition around him. Arsenal moved swiftly to secure the Spaniard last summer, seeing him as a replacement for Jorginho and Thomas Partey in one move. He began strongly, but the demands of Premier League soccer appeared to catch up with him later on. Arsenal’s interest in Bruno Guimarães could further tighten the midfield picture.
Ethan Nwaneri returns after his loan at Marseille and faces an important few weeks. The left-footed playmaker has shown ability in spells, but last season did not provide the breakthrough many expected. A strong preseason could help him into a larger role, although a permanent sale or another loan cannot be ruled out.
Riccardo Calafiori, meanwhile, will try to reclaim the leftback spot from Piero Hincapié. He returns fully fit and without World Cup commitments, unlike Hincapié. After a stop-start spell since joining two summers ago, and with Hincapié potentially needing time to recover from his summer exertions, Calafiori has a clear opening to press his claim again.
Finally, some supporters would like to see change around the captaincy. Martin Ødegaard had a difficult 2025-26 campaign, and Arsenal’s title success without a standout season from the Norwegian has only sharpened that conversation.
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Five Rogers Replacements Arsenal Could Consider in the Market
Arsenal missed out on Morgan Rogers, but several wide alternatives remain on the table.
Arsenal had appeared ready to centre their summer plans around Morgan Rogers before that move drifted away. The England international was viewed as the kind of addition who could help extend the momentum of a Premier League title win that ended a 22-year wait, with his ability to operate close to a centre forward or from the left making him an appealing fit.
Even with Christos Tzolis expected to arrive as a Leandro Trossard replacement, the sense remains that Mikel Arteta still wants another major attacking addition. If Rogers is no longer the answer, Arsenal can still look at a handful of wide options with different profiles.
Yan Diomande stands out as the most explosive of the group. Liverpool were interested earlier in the summer before learning he preferred Paris Saint-Germain, while RB Leipzig are now said to want $125.1 million (£93.5 million). He offers pace, dribbling and the ability to play on either flank, which could bring both variety on the left and cover for Bukayo Saka.
Bradley Barcola brings a more established level of assurance. PSG value him at $171.2 million (€150 million), and although they are not eager to sell, that could change if a deal for Maghnes Akliouche is completed after three rejected bids. Barcola’s game is not flawless, but his level and unpredictability make him one of the strongest options mentioned.
Mika Godts would be a lower-cost gamble on potential. The 21-year-old delivered 29 goal contributions in 32 Eredivisie matches last season, although his World Cup omission and uneven Champions League displays leave questions over whether he is ready for a leading role at this level.
Kerim Alajbegović fits the same developmental bracket. The teenager impressed with RB Salzburg in 2025-26 and is now back at Bayer Leverkusen, who are open to selling him before a senior appearance. Atalanta and Chelsea are also interested.
Marcus Rashford, meanwhile, remains another name in the discussion after Barcelona declined to buy him permanently, leaving his situation unresolved once again.
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Why Arsenal May Push Harder for Bruno Guimarães
Arsenal may raise their bid for Bruno Guimarães because he offers rare calm under pressure and control.
Multiple reports say Arsenal are ready to revisit their interest in Bruno Guimarães with a bigger offer, and the logic is clear: his strength on the ball is exactly what they are short of.
Newcastle may yet think about a sale, especially after a summer in which Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon were moved on for huge fees, but Arsenal’s first proposal was never likely to be enough. It was described as so low that it risked ending talks before they really began. Now, with The Times reporting that Arsenal could go as high as $100 million, the story has changed.
That would be a major outlay, but Arsenal already have plenty of midfield options. Martin Ødegaard, Martín Zubimendi and Declan Rice form a first-choice trio that most clubs would envy. Behind them sit Mikel Merino, Eberechi Eze, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri and Christian Nørgaard. Even so, none of those players offer quite the same calmness under pressure that Guimarães provides.
Arsenal’s 2025-26 campaign ended with the club’s first Premier League trophy in 22 years, yet the route to that success was far from smooth. Their reliance on set pieces grew as opponents found a different way to hurt them: pressing high and forcing mistakes. Manchester City exposed that weakness in the Carabao Cup final, Southampton used it to knock them out of the FA Cup, and Bournemouth also caused problems by stepping up aggressively.
The numbers back up the eye test. Gradient Sports’ passing-under-pressure metric placed no Arsenal player in the Premier League top 20 last season. Guimarães, meanwhile, finished second.
Zubimendi has the profile to help in this area, although his own first season outside Real Sociedad was affected by fatigue after playing so many minutes. Rice has not shown the same gifts in tight spaces, while Ødegaard has been Arsenal’s best route through a press but spent much of last season battling injuries.
The Telegraph report Newcastle want closer to $124 million, the figure Tottenham Hotspur paid for Sandro Tonali. That leaves Arsenal facing a significant decision over whether to keep raising the bid for a midfielder who can connect defence and attack with far more security than most.
