Arsenal have completed the signing of Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis.The Athletic reported earlier this month that Arsenal were in the process of finalising a move for the 24-year-old after the two clubs reached a €40m ($45.8m, £34m) agreement.The winger has signed a five-year contract with the Premier League champions and will wear the number 17 shirt.
Energy. Instinct. End product.
Christos Tzolis is a Gunner ✍️ pic.twitter.com/NP7QHI3u15
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 23, 2026“It’s absolutely amazing to sign for such a big club,” Tzolis told Arsenal’s website. “The champions of England. I’m very proud to be part of this team for the next season.“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.”Tzolis’ arrival follows the departure of versatile forward Leandro Trossard, who joined Turkish side Besiktas in a €20m deal. Arsenal have been looking to strengthen their attack this summer, with the pursuit of Tzolis separate from any interest in signing Morgan Rogers, who has completed a move to Chelsea, or a move for any other target.The Greece international has registered over 20 goals in back-to-back seasons for Club Brugge since joining in 2024. Last season, he recorded 22 goals and 29 assists in 55 appearances, helping his side to the Belgian title.Among those contributions were two goals in the Champions League — in the 2-1 group-stage defeat to Atalanta and the 3-3 draw against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the knockout phase playoffs.Arsenal had made an enquiry to Juventus over their interest in 21-year-old Kenan Yildiz, but were informed the Turkey international was not for sale, leading them to look at other options.Tzolis returns to England having previously made 14 Premier League appearances for Norwich City during a three-year spell. He had loan spells with Dutch side Twente and German club Dusseldorf before joining Brugge.Crystal Palace made an approach for Tzolis last summer, with Brugge rejecting a bid from the south London club. The Greece international signed a new contract until 2029 shortly after.The ‘macro skills’ Tzolis will offer ArsenalAnalysis from The Athletic’s Anantaajith Raghuraman“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.”Pace, physicality, versatility and defensive awareness have been the foundations of Arsenal’s recent success under Mikel Arteta. Tzolis checks all those boxes.The big question is how well his qualities will translate to the Premier League after making little impact in his first crack at English football, albeit that was with a relegation-bound Norwich side and mostly when he was still a teenager.Much of what Tzolis has accomplished has come with space in front of him. Gabriel Martinelli similarly thrived when he had areas of the pitch he could occupy and scored 15 Premier League goals in the 2022-23 season. He has struggled as spaces have become congested, and the football has become more stop-start.Tzolis’ ‘macro’ qualities, like those of Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres, suggest he will not be out of place back in the Premier League. But as with the Sweden striker, who struggled at times last season but ended with 21 goals across competitions, patience will be key.
