Arsenal's newest signing Christos Tzolis accrued more goal contributions last season than he made league appearances during his ill-fated spell at Norwich City, highlighting his transformation. At 24, Tzolis has become the clinical attacker Europe's elite once believed he would be as a teenager.
A promising start turns sour
Barcelona were among the clubs courting Tzolis before Norwich secured his £8.8million transfer from PAOK in summer 2021. Already a full Greece international at 21, his capture was seen as a coup for the newly promoted side. However, after scoring twice on his debut in a 6-0 Carabao Cup win over Bournemouth, he soon fell out of favour. Manager Daniel Farke was sacked in November, and successor Dean Smith's change of shape effectively ended Tzolis' Norwich career.
“It was the hardest year of my career,” Tzolis told Het Nieuwsblad in 2024. “The first time I didn’t play with the first team, but with the second [reserves], I was very disappointed. That was the lowest point of my career. My agent and my family had to convince me not to give up. And life off the pitch wasn’t easy back then.”
Resurrection in Germany and Belgium
After just 27 appearances for Norwich, Tzolis left permanently in summer 2024. A loan at FC Twente was hampered by a knee injury, but at Fortuna Dusseldorf in the German second tier he rediscovered his form, scoring over 20 goals. Dusseldorf triggered a £3m option to sign him permanently, but soon sold him to Club Brugge for a profit. In Belgium, Tzolis flourished, scoring 22 times and registering 29 assists last season, becoming one of the Belgian Pro League's biggest stars.
Norwich's sporting director at the time, Stewart Webber, told The Telegraph: “He was very young, coming into the hardest league in the world where the physicality is off the charts. It didn’t work out because we [Norwich] were a struggling team in an unforgiving division. Attacking players don’t get 100 touches of the ball when they are playing for Norwich. If he’d been at an Arsenal he would have probably been successful straight away.”
A different beast for Arsenal
Tzolis returns to the Premier League physically stronger and more robust. He is viewed as the successor to Leandro Trossard, who moved to Besiktas. “I’m a direct player, I go for goals or assists,” Tzolis told Arsenal’s website. “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.”
Arsenal sought to upgrade their left-side attack, with a deal for Morgan Rogers now off the table. While Tzolis' exceptional record in Belgium carries a risk of not translating to the Premier League, the transfer fee and potential upside make it a risk worth taking for the club.
