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21-goal winger asked directly about joining Arsenal: 'Why not?'

Updated: 23 May 2026 14:28 BST | 5 min read

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Tom Weber

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

Prolific Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis has discussed his future amid reports that Arsenal and Manchester United are keen to bring him back to the Premier League.

Some English fans will still be familiar with the 24-year-old. Regarded as one of the biggest talents in Greece, Norwich City signed him from PAOK for a - by their standards - sizeable €11 million in 2021.

Tzolis was billed as the man to keep the Canaries in the Premier League at the time, but it never quite clicked for him in Norfolk. When Norwich were relegated, the winger embarked on a couple of loans.

After disappointing at Twente in the Netherlands, he exploded at Fortuna Dusseldorf in the 2. Bundesliga, producing a whopping 24 goals and nine assists in 37 appearances across all competitions as they reached the DFB-Pokal semi-final and narrowly missed out on a return to the top flight.

Cash-strapped Fortuna exercised their €3.5m purchase option with the understanding that Tzolis would immediately be sold on for a profit. Because of the German club's weak negotiating position, Club Brugge managed to snap him up for a bargain €6.5m in 2024.

Tzolis set for Premier League return

Tzolis has continued his red-hot form in Belgium. He scored 21 goals and notched 16 assists in his debut season at Brugge, and he has followed that up with another 21-goal campaign this term. He has set up his teammates 28 times to boot.

Tzolis' attacking output has put him on the radar of English teams again. Last year, Crystal Palace had a bid of over €30m rejected by Brugge, who did not want to lose the Greek after just one season. The player later admitted that he was interested in the move.

Christos Tzolis

Now, the likes of Arsenal, Man City and Man Utd are being associated with Tzolis, who surely feels that he has unfinished business in the Premier League after his disappointing spell at Norwich. Brugge want to make him their new club-record sale, meaning that he will cost more than €36m.

On Thursday, his side clinched the Jupiler Pro League title with a 2-2 draw against Mechelen. Tzolis and fellow Arsenal-linked forward Nicolo Tresoldi were on the scoresheet. Cup winners Union St. Gilloise can no longer mathematically catch Brugge with just one game left to play.

Stijn Stijnen, a DAZN pundit and manager of second-tier side Patro Eisden Maasmechelen, directly asked Tzolis about the supposed interest from Premier League heavyweights. “What will it be Christos? Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal?"

Tzolis' response suggested that he hadn't yet made a firm decision on his future. "I don’t know," he said. It depends on Club Brugge. It’s not up to me to decide. We’ll see what the best option is for me. It’s not just about the name. We also have to ask ourselves what the best project is.

"Why not stay at Club Brugge? I have a contract until 2029," he added. "I’m a professional. I have to respect my team, the team that pays me. I’m here to celebrate. Then we’ll see about my future. It’s still early. Today, I have to celebrate. I [will soon] have a vacation!"

Tzolis a good fit for Arsenal or Man Utd?

Tzolis' numbers in Belgium are outrageous, but given the level of the league, they need to be taken with a grain of salt. Data analytics firm SciSports suggests that going directly from Brugge to a club like Arsenal could be too big a step for Tzolis.

While the 24-year-old has enjoyed "significant development" this season, his current ability level is still believed to be some way short of the Gunners' current options, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.

Christos Tzolis compared to other Jupiler Pro League wingers

Of course, the data does not show that Tzolis has that intangible hunger and decisiveness in the final third that you see in elite attackers and which Arsenal's players - or at least Martinelli - lack. Still, it seems that a move to a side like Crystal Palace would be a more logical next step.

It is easy to get caught up in the hype, though. As per SciSports data, Tzolis has been the standout performer in Belgium this season among wingers. Sint-Truiden's Kaito Matsuzawa is the only player with a higher ranking, but his sample size is tiny (fewer than 800 league minutes).

Should Tzolis indeed opt to move to an elite Premier League side, SciSports would advise him to make it Man Utd rather than Arsenal. The analytics firm's Career Advice tool shows that the Red Devils would be a much better stylistic fit than the Gunners.

Arsenal get a solid but unspectacular Club Fit rating of 73 out of 100, whereas Man Utd are his best option - by a decent margin - with a very good score of 87.