Why Arsenal splashed £34m on former Norwich flop Christos Tzolis who models his game on World Cup winner

ARSENAL new boy Christos Tzolis models his game on legendary Spain forward David Villa. And the Gunners will hope the Greek winger can add goals to their attack after splashing out £34million to sign him on a five-year deal from Club Brugge. Club Brugge’s Christos Tzolis up against Arsenal’s Ben White last season when the two teams faced off in the Champions League Credit: Alamy Tzolis models his game on Spain icon David Villa Credit: PA:Empics Sport Tzolis, 24, flopped during a spell at Norwich from 2021 to 2024 – but rebuilt his career having moved to Belgium. He boasted 43 goals and 45 assists in 108 games over his two seasons with Brugge. Sign up for the Arsenal newsletter Thank you! But, after winning Belgium’s player of the season last term, Tzolis revealed his inspiration is former Barcelona and Valencia attacker Villa. Arsenal have signed Tzolis to primarily play off the left and as a replacement for Leandro Trossard, who joined Besiktas this month for £17m. But – like Trossard – he can also operate as a No 10 and a big part of his game is cutting inside to cause chaos. Tzolis was ranked first for dribbles completed in the Belgian top flight last season, while setting up more chances than any other player. And 52 of the 135 chances he created in the league last term were from dead-ball situations – music to the ears of Gunners set-piece coach Nicolas Jover. He has taken the No 17 shirt at Arsenal – famously worn by Alexis Sanchez – and his stocky frame and eye for goal are reminiscent of the Chilean. Most read in Sport CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Tzolis is ready to show the world what he can do on the big stage in 2026/27 Credit: Getty Tzolis has already featured in pre-season friendlies with Club Brugge. It means he can hit the ground running ahead of their first friendly a week on Saturday in Girona. WHAT THE PLAYER HAS SAID Tzolis declared: “It’s absolutely amazing to sign for such a big club – the champions of England. I’m very proud to be part of this team. “When my agent was saying maybe it was a possibility, I was already excited. “Afterwards it was getting more serious and now I’m here. I had a nice conversation [with Mikel Arteta]. It was around an hour. “We talked about everything – about the club, about myself, his plans, about the team. It was only positive things.” On legend Villa – Spain’s all-time top scorer – Tzolis added: “He was a bit more of a striker but I am in this kind of position to play close to the striker and have the opportunity to score. “I’m a direct player and go for goals or assists. That’s my point of view as an attacker. “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 in the defensive part, too.” The Norwich days are now a far cry for Tzolis after joining the Premier League champions Credit: Alamy WHAT SPORTING DIRECTOR ANDREA BERTA SAID The Italian declared: “We are delighted to have completed the signing of Christos. “Christos is an extremely versatile attacking player who naturally operates on the left but is also comfortable across the front line. “He’s an excellent finisher with both feet, thrives in tight spaces and possesses incredible technical ability. “Christos produced outstanding numbers in terms of goals and assists in the last three seasons. “He’ll raise the technical level of our squad, while bringing positive energy, enthusiasm and a strong mentality to our team. “We’re confident Christos will make a significant contribution to our club and we hope our fans will enjoy watching him. “We look forward to sharing an exciting new chapter together.” Comment now