Christos Tzolis: Arsenal's New Left-Sided Threat

Christos Tzolis has barely walked through the doors at Arsenal, yet he already looks like the one player in Mikel Arteta’s front line who is truly up to speed.

The Greek winger arrives with a clear brief: replace Leandro Trossard, who left for Besiktas last week, and inject end product from the left. His numbers in Belgium explain why Arsenal moved quickly. Twenty-two goals and 29 assists last season for Brugge is not a hot streak. It is a body of work.

A ready-made left-sided threat

Arsenal plan to use Tzolis primarily off the left, but his game stretches across the front line. He can drift inside, attack the half-spaces, or run beyond the striker. That versatility appealed, yet it was his menace in the final third that truly caught the eye at London Colney.

He signed off in Belgium in the way every winger dreams of leaving: cutting in from the left and whipping a curling finish into the top corner against Feyenoord in a pre-season friendly. Forty-five minutes, one reminder of what he does best.

That was no farewell jog. It was part of a serious pre-season load with Brugge that now gives him a head start in north London.

Fitter, sharper, and already on the grass

While much of Arsenal’s squad are still shaking off the World Cup or only just back into full training, Tzolis has barely stopped. Greece did not qualify for the tournament, so he had just under four weeks off in the summer. Even then, he did not fully switch off.

Once he heard of Arsenal’s interest, he spent part of that break training alone to keep his fitness high. Then came two weeks of structured pre-season with Brugge, early July sessions, and that 45-minute outing against Feyenoord.

By the time Arsenal officially launched their pre-season at the Sobha Reality Training Centre this week, Tzolis was not easing himself in. He was already in stride, slotting into drills alongside his new team-mates while many of them were still finding their legs.

There was a mini-camp in Marbella for the squad last week, but the workload there did not match the intensity of what Tzolis had already put himself through in Belgium. That gap matters now. In these early days, he looks like the one attacker who has already hit second gear.

Girona in sight

Arsenal’s first pre-season match comes next weekend against Girona in Spain. For most, it will be a tentative first outing after weeks away. For Tzolis, it could feel like the continuation of a pre-season that never really paused.

He is set to travel with the squad and is in line to make his first appearance for the club there. With Trossard gone and others still playing catch-up, the opportunity is obvious. A sharp, left-footed winger, already tuned to match tempo, stepping into a vacancy on the flank.

Pre-season often flatters. But every summer, one player uses it to change their standing in the squad. Tzolis has given himself every chance to be that player.