Christos Tzolis: Arsenal agree fee with Club Brugge to sign Greek winger as replacement for Leandro Trossard
Arsenal have agreed a deal to sign Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge; the Greek winger is set to depart for £34m which is a Belgian Pro League record; Tzolis is being signed as a replacement for Leandro Trossard, who departed for Besiktas this week
Thursday 16 July 2026 16:05, UK
Arsenal have agreed a deal with Club Brugge for winger Christos Tzolis, Sky Sports News understands.
The fee is understood to be £34m, which is a record for the Belgian Pro League.
Once Tzolis heard that the Premier League champions were interested, he only wanted Arsenal.
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Sky Sports News understands Arsenal's move for Tzolis is independent of their pursuit for Morgan Rogers.
Arsenal are one down in their forward line after selling Leandro Trossard to Besiktas in a £17m deal.
The 24-year-old, formerly of Norwich City, scored 17 goals and added 23 assists in 36 league appearances last season.
Analysis: Why Tzolis is the perfect Trossard replacement
Sky Sports' Sam Blitz:
Tzolis arrives as Trossard's direct replacement. And a closer look at Tzolis' profile shows a lot of similarities between the two players.
The first is the profile. Through those who know him, the Greek forward is a winger but like Trossard, he is also a No 10. Last summer, Crystal Palace strongly considered Tzolis as a replacement for now-Arsenal star Eberechi Eze.
"He's able to fulfil different roles," Hayk Milkon tells Sky Sports, who was Club Brugge's assistant manager for Tzolis' entire time in Belgium up until February of this year.
"Coming from the left side - giving him this space to start wide and then find the moments to get more inside - that's where he's at his strongest.
"If he's assigned to play really wide to get these one-on-ones, he's able to do it. But he's always strongest the closer he is to the goal. Whenever he's more central, you can expect him at any moment to attack the space."
Another similarity between Tzolis and Trossard is their availability. Trossard had an exemplary injury record at Arsenal and was only injured for four matches in three-and-a-half-years. All of those four games came in his final season in north London.
Tzolis, meanwhile, had a similar record at Club Brugge. The longest he ever spent on the sidelines he had at the Belgian club was two matches - despite being one of the most energetic and intense players on the team.
"He's a guy that works a lot," adds Milkon. "He runs a lot of kilometres in the game, but also at high speeds and his sprint distance.
"Anyone can do that once in a week. He was doing it every three or four days with the Champions League. And his performances stayed stable."
A final comparison between Trossard and Tzolis is a slight temperament - bred from a desire to win. Arteta once called affectionately Trossard "a bit of a moaner" at Arsenal through his constant complaining in training and to referees.
And one of Tzolis' big areas of improvement, according to his former coach? "Emotional stability," says Milkon.
Read Sky Sports' Sam Blitz's full feature on Christos Tzolis here...
Arsenal's first five matches of the Premier League season
August 21: Coventry (H), live on Sky Sports, kick-off 8pm
August 31: Aston Villa (A), live on Sky Sports, kick-off 8pm
September 6: Chelsea (H), live on Sky Sports, kick-off 4.30pm
September 12: Sunderland (A), kick-off 8pm
September 19: Brighton (A), kick-off 3pm
