Christos Tzolis has given Mikel Arteta a major Gabriel Martinelli decision after producing two assists in Arsenal’s 3-0 Community Shield victory over Manchester City.
The £34million summer signing could hardly have asked for a better first competitive statement in an Arsenal shirt.
Tzolis created Kai Havertz’s second goal with an intelligent header across the penalty area before releasing Martin Odegaard for Arsenal’s third shortly after half-time. Reuters described the Greece international as one of the key figures in a performance where Arsenal looked sharper and more threatening than City.
For Tzolis, it was an outstanding afternoon.
For Martinelli, it creates an interesting problem.
A creative spark in attack 💫
Your FA Community Shield POTM: Christos Tzolis 🏅
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— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 16, 2026
Christos Tzolis changes Arsenal’s left-wing argument
When Arsenal signed Tzolis, the expectation was that he would increase competition rather than simply walk into Arteta’s strongest XI.
ReadArsenal highlighted that exact issue after his arrival, noting that Tzolis offers a different threat to Martinelli from the left.
Sunday provided the clearest evidence yet.
Martinelli remains the quicker runner in behind and has years of Premier League experience, but Tzolis showed another quality Arsenal have occasionally lacked on that flank: repeatable creation.
He did not need to score to influence the contest. His movement inside created space around him, while both assists came from making the right decision rather than forcing the spectacular option.
That matters because Arsenal did not spend £34m merely to replace Leandro Trossard’s place on the bench.
David Ornstein’s original Tzolis transfer update made clear that Arsenal wanted another serious option on the left, with Martinelli already facing increased competition.
The Community Shield suggests that battle may be much closer than expected.
Martinelli transfer situation suddenly looks different
Martinelli’s future is already one of Arsenal’s biggest remaining transfer decisions.
Galatasaray submitted a verbal offer worth around £38.4m, but the Brazilian informed Arsenal that he did not want the move. talkSPORT also reported that Arsenal were prepared to consider offers if their attacking options allowed them to sanction a sale.
Tzolis performing like this strengthens Arsenal’s position.
It does not mean Martinelli suddenly has to be sold. Arteta specifically pushed back against that interpretation after leaving him out of the Community Shield squad, explaining that limited substitute places forced him to omit several senior players.
But the selection equation has changed.
If Tzolis continues creating chances from the left, Arsenal can demand the right price for Martinelli rather than worrying that a sale would leave Arteta short.
Equally, Martinelli staying would create genuine competition rather than an automatic hierarchy.
That may ultimately benefit Arsenal.
A month ago, Tzolis looked like quality depth behind an established starter. Two assists against Manchester City have already made that assumption considerably harder to maintain.
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