The Sports Guru
Arsenal's move for Christos Tzolis arrived only after their top attacking target chose Chelsea instead. This piece explains why the fallback option may not represent much of a downgrade at all, and what the numbers and scouting detail actually tell you about the player replacing Leandro Trossard.
Arsenal's move for Christos Tzolis only happened because someone else said yes to Chelsea first. The Greek winger has completed a £34m switch from Club Brugge on a five-year deal, a fee that stands as a Belgian Pro League record, and he arrives as the direct replacement for Leandro Trossard, who left north London for Besiktas in a £17m deal. On the surface it reads like plan B. Arsenal had reportedly identified Morgan Rogers as their top attacking target, only for Rogers to complete a British-record £117m move to Chelsea instead. But a closer look at Tzolis' profile suggests Arsenal's fallback was not a compromise so much as a like-for-like swap they had already scouted in detail.
The numbers behind the swap
Arsenal have paid £34m to bring Tzolis in - a Belgian Pro League record - and recouped £17m from Trossard's exit to Besiktas, a net outlay of £17m on the position based on those two figures. He scored 17 goals and provided 23 assists in 36 league appearances for Club Brugge last season. He is 24, formerly of Norwich City, and faced Arsenal in last season's Champions League.
Same shape, different accent
Sky Sports' Sam Blitz notes that Tzolis arrives as Trossard's direct replacement, and the comparison holds up beyond the transfer fee. Both are wingers capable of playing as a No 10, and Crystal Palace reportedly considered Tzolis last summer as a replacement for Eberechi Eze, who has since joined Arsenal himself. Hayk Milkon, Club Brugge's assistant manager throughout Tzolis' time at the club until February, told Sky Sports the winger's versatility is genuine: "He's able to fulfil different roles." Milkon described a player who starts wide to create space before drifting inside, and who grows more dangerous the closer he gets to goal.
The engine that never stops
Availability is the second thread joining the two players. Trossard's injury record at Arsenal was exemplary - he missed only four matches across three-and-a-half years, all of them in his final season. Tzolis' record at Brugge tells a similar story: his longest spell on the sidelines was two matches, despite being, according to Milkon, one of the most energetic and intense players on the team. Milkon pointed to Tzolis' distance covered and sprint numbers holding up through matches every three or four days during Champions League weeks, output he says stayed consistent rather than tailing off.
The one thing to iron out
Temperament is where the comparison gets more interesting than flattering. Arteta once affectionately labelled Trossard "a bit of a moaner," a reference to his constant complaining in training and to referees. Asked about Tzolis' areas for improvement, Milkon named the equivalent trait directly: "Emotional stability." Arsenal appear to have signed not just a similar skill set to Trossard's, but a similar edge that came with it - the kind of competitive streak that can cut both ways in a Premier League dressing room.
Tzolis' first real test arrives quickly. Arsenal open the season at home to Coventry on 21 August, before trips to Aston Villa and a home meeting with Chelsea - the club that beat them to Rogers - on 6 September. Whether the Rogers deal was ever genuinely lost, or whether Arsenal's scouting had quietly settled on Tzolis regardless, may only become clear once he starts playing games that matter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Arsenal paid a fee understood to be £34m for the winger, a Belgian Pro League record, on a five-year deal from Club Brugge.
Trossard left Arsenal for Besiktas in a £17m deal, and Tzolis has been signed as his direct replacement.
Rogers was reportedly Arsenal's top attacking target, but he instead completed a British-record £117m move to Chelsea.
He is predominantly a left winger who can also operate as a No 10, giving Arsenal similar flexibility to Trossard.
His longest spell out at Club Brugge was two matches, a record his former assistant manager says came despite a demanding running workload.
Research: Our wider editorial research consults online reporting from BBC Sport, Sky Sports, The Guardian and other reputable sources. Story inspiration: Sky Sports' original report.