Christos Tzolis has been signed as Arsenal's replacement for Premier League champion Leandro Trossard
06:00, 29 Jul 2026
Arsenal have placed a heavy burden on Christos Tzolis to replace the threat Leandro Trossard once provided off the left wing. The former Club Brugge star has the potential to not only match Trossard's output at the Emirates Stadium but surpass it altogether.
While he may stand a meagre 5'8", Belgium international Trossard has left some sizeable boots in need of filling in Mikel Arteta's side following a £17.1million move to Besiktas. The 31-year-old played a crucial role in last season's Premier League title-winning squad and came up with vital contributions in clutch moments.
Tzolis, who had a fairly unremarkable tenure at Norwich City as a youngster, arrives under big expectations after two goal-laden campaigns with Brugge. Scott Coyne, who stars as one-third of The Belgian Football Podcast, has seen the Greece international work up close in the Pro League and believes he has the potential to outperform Trossard at the Emirates Stadium.
"I think from a tactical perspective, it’s a good direct replacement," Coyne told football.london. "I think Tzolis offers you a little bit more physically. And because of his directness, I think Trossard as a player sometimes overthinks things a little bit, which isn’t always a bad thing, but Tzolis doesn’t.
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"So when you’re looking at the two purely from that left-wing position, then I think Tzolis is actually the better player and has been the more consistent player. Obviously, there are some doubts as to whether he can bring that level of consistency at Arsenal, but it’s unfair on Christos to actually question that really off the back of the last three seasons.
"He’s played in England before as well. So he knows what it’s like. He knows what it’s all about. He’s not coming to a country or a culture that he hasn’t experienced before, which makes the chances of him being able to hit the ground running much, much easier."
The £34m signing's time with Norwich didn't pan out as the grand entrance to English football he will have wanted. After joining from Greek giants PAOK in 2021, he was loaned to FC Twente and Fortuna Dusseldorf before a permanent exit for Brugge in 2024.
The Tzolis we see today started to emerge during that loan spell in Germany's second tier during the 2023/24 campaign. The 24-year-old finished joint-top of the 2. Bundesliga goal charts with 22 finishes in 30 games and continued that form in Belgium.
Operating mainly off the left flank, Tzolis amassed 43 goals and 45 assists in 108 games for Club Brugge. He was named Belgian Footballer of the Year for the 2025/26 campaign, very deserved recognition in Coyne's eyes, with club team-mate Nicolo Tresoldi being the only Pro League player to score more than him.
"I go for goals or assists," said Tzolis in a pledge to his new fans after arriving at Arsenal this summer. "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 team-mates. And I can say I work hard for the team, also in the defensive part."
So impressive is Tzolis' form in front of goal that Coyne, who also runs a football consultancy firm, believes he "could actually" work out well as a makeshift striker. Though naturally right-footed, the Thessaloniki-born forward is very capable off his left and has the ability to provide a threat across the front three.
"Christos’ instincts are such that I think he could fulfil a role like that," Coyne added. “I think Mikel would want to keep him out on the left, which is why him being a kind of natural replacement for Trossard actually is very strong.
"What it tells me is that if he plays to Christos’ strengths, Arteta wants to be as direct as possible. When you say direct, people think long balls and things like that, but there’s nothing wrong with direct football at all.”
Trossard performed a very similar Swiss-army-knife role for the Gunners over the course of his three years in north London. Whenever Arteta had injury issues and absences affecting selection in attack, Trossard was regularly on hand to provide a solution.
Tzolis can act in the same capacity and possibly outdo his predecessor given the physical advantages running in his favour by comparison. And given he's nearly a decade younger than the Belgian, the not-so-meek Greek hopes to do just that at Arsenal for years to come.
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