Arsenal complete £34m signing of Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge

Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Greece international Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge for a fee of £34 million, the Premier League champions announced on Thursday. The 24-year-old attacker has put pen to paper on what the club describes as a “long-term contract” and becomes Mikel Arteta’s first major addition of the January window. Tzolis arrives in North London following the departure of Belgian winger Leandro Trossard, who joined Besiktas earlier this month. Tzolis built an impressive record during his time in Belgium, scoring 43 goals and providing 45 assists in 108 appearances for Club Brugge. His form caught Arsenal’s eye, and the club moved quickly to secure his signature. “Christos naturally operates on the left but is comfortable across the front line,” said Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta. “He’s an excellent finisher with both feet, thrives in tight spaces, and possesses incredible technical ability. Christos has produced outstanding numbers in terms of goals and assists over the last three seasons, and he’s a player who will raise the technical level of our squad, while bringing positive energy, enthusiasm, and a strong mentality to our team.” Tzolis began his career at PAOK before moving to Norwich City in 2021. He made 30 appearances for the Canaries, scoring three goals, and had loan spells at Twente and Fortuna Dusseldorf before making a permanent switch to Club Brugge. The Greece international made his Premier League debut for Norwich in a 1-0 defeat at Arsenal in September 2021. He said he had a “nice conversation” with Arteta before finalizing the move. “We talked about everything — about the club, about myself, about his plans, about me of course, about the team,” Tzolis said. “It was only positive things. I’m a direct player, I go for goals or assists. That’s my point of view as an attacker, as a winger. I’m always hungry to score or to give the final pass to my team-mates. And I can say I work hard for the team, also in the defensive part.”