Forward Christos Tzolis has revealed the reason behind his decision to join Arsenal.
The Greek winger joined the north London side in a £34 million deal from Club Brugge last month, becoming the club’s first major signing of the summer.
Tzolis enjoyed an outstanding campaign with Brugge last season, attracting interest from several clubs before opting to join Mikel Arteta’s side.
Speaking to the media, as relayed by The Athletic, Tzolis said Arsenal’s decisive approach convinced him to make the move.
“There are always some teams that talk, but Arsenal was directly the most concrete team, and that makes it easier to lock in and say, ‘I just want to go there and I don’t want to hear anything else’.
“Some teams were trying, but it was an easy choice and clear that I wanted to join here.”
The 24-year-old also revealed that Arteta played a crucial role in persuading him to join the Gunners.
“He (Arteta) knows my game style and wants me to do the same things at Arsenal. He doesn’t want me to do things differently than I did in Club Brugge,” he continued.
“He didn’t say, ‘You have to score 10 or 15 goals’, but just to ‘play free and show your qualities; then everything will come’. That makes it a bit easier to be in the final third when we have a lot of possession. The chances will be there; the only thing is to be ready and focused.”
Tzolis struggled to make an impact during his first stint in English football after joining Norwich City from Greek side PAOK in 2021.
The attacker could not secure regular game time with the Canaries and was sent out on loan twice before joining Brugge on a permanent deal in 2024.
Tzolis said he is ‘more ready to be in the Premier League’ than he was during his previous spell in England.
The PAOK academy graduate has made a strong start to life at Arsenal, impressing in fitness tests during the club’s pre-season trip to Girona last week.
He also registered an assist during Arsenal’s 3-0 victory over MK Dons, before scoring in the 4-1 victory over Girona last Saturday.