Arsenal complete £34m signing of Christos Tzolis as squad number confirmed

Arsenal have announced the £34million signing of Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge on an five-year contract

Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge. The Greek international joins the club in a deal worth £34million, football.london understands, and has signed a five-year contract.

The 24-year-old caught the interest of Arsenal last season when they met in the UEFA Champions League initial phase. The Gunners secured a 3-0 win on their way to winning the league phase, which would precede a campaign taking them all the way to the final.

Sporting director Andrea Berta said: “We’re delighted to have completed the signing of Christos Tzolis. Christos is an extremely versatile attacking player who naturally operates on the left but is comfortable across the front line. 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 in an Arsenal shirt. We look forward to sharing this exciting new chapter together.”

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Tzolis will wear the No.17 shirt and is seen as a decent replacement for Leandro Trossard, who has joined Besiktas. Gabriel Martinelli could yet still leave with the club’s interest in marquee options such as Morgan Rogers, who Chelsea have successfully signed, and Bradley Barcola, among others, considered separate from the acquisition of Tzolis.

Tzolis’ 22 goals and 29 assists made him a hot property, and there was interest from other clubs. However, football.london understands Arsenal were the player's overwhelming preference.

“It's absolutely amazing to sign for such a big club, the champions of England. I'm very proud to be part of this team for the next season," the winger said.

“When my agent was saying maybe it was a possibility, I was already excited. Afterwards it was getting more serious and now I'm here.

“I had a nice conversation [with Mikel Arteta]. It was around an hour. We talked about everything, about the club, about myself, about his plans, about me of course, about the team. It was only positive things.”

Having played with Norwich City, Tzolis already has experience in the Premier League. He made his debut against the Gunners during the 2021/22 season as Arsenal chased their first win of the campaign after losing the opening three.

A viral clip circulated on social media of Tzolis’ performance, which caused quite a stir. A winger with good technical ability but, like Trossard, one with an eye for a shot on goal or a creative pass.

There are plenty of similarities being drawn between the Belgian and Tzolis, but equally, there are differences. Tzolis still needs to show his worth at the elite level, but has seven goal contributions from 21 appearances in the UEFA Champions League.

Tzolis could make his debut for the club in their opening friendly of the summer’s pre-season schedule in Girona on August 1.

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