Christos Tzolis has had a mixed start to his Arsenal career.
When he arrived from Club Brugge in the summer, there was slight scepticism, but that was soon eradicated after his impressive pre-season performances. He then hit the ground running in the early weeks of the season, picking up four assists in his first five competitive appearances, giving fans real optimism about the £34million signing.
However, there have been concerns, particularly in the away games. He struggled to impose himself at Villa Park and was hooked at half-time. The Brighton performance was poor — though that was true of the entire team. And throughout, one stat has been difficult to ignore — just one successful dribble from ten attempts in all competitions. For a winger whose primary job is to beat his man and create, that is a concerning return.
Image of Mikel Arteta looking dejected alongside of list of players he has signed for Arsenal from outside Europe's top-five leagues
Credit: Getty Images/Shaun Botterill
However, one thing you cannot doubt is his work ethic and mentality. That’s been backed up by inside sources. Speaking on the Seeing Red podcast, journalist John Cross shared what he has heard what Tzolis is like behind the scenes.
“A couple of people have said to me that Tzolis is absolutely a machine,” Cross said. “He’s hard as nails. He doesn’t miss sessions. He’s fantastically fit, really reliable.
“But the guy is not superhuman — because he’s been expected to play every single game, basically because he’s the only guy to turn to.”
Everything you hear about Tzolis gives you the impression that he is genuinely buzzing to be part of this club. He’s clearly a top professional — Mikel Arteta always ensures to do proper background checks on players — and is committed and determined to make it work. The hamstring injury picked up on Greece duty will sting precisely because of that attitude.
In an ideal world, Arsenal would have signed a more proven, experienced left winger in the summer. Bringing in someone who would have played ahead of him would have shared the burden and relieved the instant-impact expectation placed on Tzolis. That obviously didn’t happen, and the consequence of that is a player being asked to carry more responsibility than he really should have.
Eberechi Eze will likely fill in on the left in his absence, and much like Tzolis, he needs to deliver.