Christos Tzolis-Viktor Gyokeres comparison made as Arsenal close in on £34m transfer

As Arsenal close in on the £34m signing of Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge, Sports Mole expert and Gunners supporter Ben Knapton details what we can expect from the Greek attacker at the Emirates:

Christos Tzolis's "staggering" numbers analysed before Arsenal transfer

© Imago / Ulrik Pedersen/Cal Sport Media/Sipa USA

Some Premier League fans may be a bit familiar with him. He did play for Norwich City in the 2021-22 season but was only 19/20 years old, didn't get any goals or assists as the Canaries went down.

He then had a brief spell with Fortuna Dusseldorf in the German second tier, scored 22 goals that season and really blossomed there.

He moved to Club Brugge, and the numbers he put up last season were absolutely staggering: 52 games, 22 goals, 29 assists. There'll be a lot of people caveating that with the quality of opposition in the Jupiler Pro League, which isn't the highest.

But he still managed three goal contributions in the Champions League in some big games - an assist in a thrilling draw against Barcelona, and goals against Atalanta and Atletico Madrid.

The key thing about him is his versatility: he'd play mostly on the left-hand side but can also play through the middle or on the right. He's 5'10", not the most physically imposing, but he has explosiveness and raw pace - more explosive than Trossard was during his time at Arsenal.

Christos Tzolis-Viktor Gyokeres comparison made after £34m Arsenal agreement

He generally thrives in space, so it might take some time to adapt to the low blocks Arsenal face. It was the same when Victor Gyokeres signed - he came from a Sporting side that loved to counter-attack, and he took some time to adapt to Arsenal's possession model and the low blocks. Patience is needed, but Gyokeres still got 21 goals in his first season as he slowly adapted.

Tzolis has an exceptional defensive work rate as well. His blistering pace helps him get back and recover, winning balls back quickly - much like Trossard and Martinelli have done for Arsenal - and that'll be a key factor.

He's being signed as the Trossard replacement. Trossard is now confirmed as a Besiktas player for £17 million, so Arsenal are spending double on Tzolis what they received for Trossard.

He's 24 years old; you'd imagine the next two or three years he'll come into his prime, so a long-term contract gets him through his prime years.

This certainly won't be Arsenal's only attacking signing, but as a Trossard replacement, it's a very good start.