Christos Tzolis is preparing for a second crack at English football, this time with the Premier League champions, and he believes he is a vastly different player from the teenager who struggled at Norwich City four years ago.
The Greek winger completed a £34m move to Arsenal from Club Brugge this summer, arriving as a potential replacement for Leandro Trossard on the left side of Mikel Arteta's attack. Within days of joining, Tzolis had impressed the club's fitness staff so much that he was given the nickname "Leonidas", after the Spartan king from the film 300, having topped the charts in an intense running test during pre-season.
Tzolis's last taste of the Premier League came during a difficult spell at Norwich, where he made his top-flight debut at the Emirates Stadium, now his home ground. He started three matches as the Canaries finished bottom of the table in 2021-22, before a loan move to Twente in the Netherlands failed to reignite his career. It was only after a switch to Fortuna Düsseldorf in the German second division that his fortunes turned.
"In football it's not always going up. You can have some setbacks and difficulties," Tzolis said. "I learned a lot of things from this period at Norwich. That's why I wanted to go to Düsseldorf to get the confidence back, because I knew I have the skills and qualities to score goals."
He added that regular football in Germany, even outside the top division, helped restore his belief before he moved on to Club Brugge. "Even though it was not the highest level, like playing in the Premier League, it's good to play every game and have the feeling that you can score and create, and play good games. Then you go to the next level, which is Club Brugge, and I had two amazing years there because I made the decision to go to Düsseldorf and have the confidence."
His time in Belgium proved transformative. Tzolis scored 33 goals across two seasons at Brugge, with his standout 2025-26 campaign - 17 goals and 23 assists, the most goal involvements of any player in the league - helping the club reclaim the title and drawing serious interest from Arsenal.
Reflecting on the contrast between his Norwich struggles and his current mindset, Tzolis explained that the East Anglian club's style did not suit his attacking instincts. "The team was not ready for the Premier League and that makes it also difficult for me to adapt and to play how I could play," he said. "I'm a more offensive player, and a player that plays for a team that has the ball and creates a lot of chances. With Norwich we had to defend more low and maybe to have some transition moments, but that was not working."
Tzolis was on holiday in his hometown of Thessaloniki when Arsenal's interest first emerged. He held two lengthy discussions with Arteta, who urged him to continue playing the way he had done in Belgium rather than changing his approach. "It's always difficult to say no to Arsenal," the Greece international said. "Arsenal was directly the most concrete team and that made it easier for me to lock in and to say: 'I want just to go there, I don't want to hear anything else.' It was an easy choice."
The 23-year-old, who models his game on former Spain forward David Villa, already has his first goal for the club after scoring in a 4-1 pre-season friendly win over Girona, cutting in from the left and curling a finish into the far corner. Tzolis says he is determined to give everything for his new team. "Now it's my time to show that I'm ready and capable of playing in the Premier League," he said.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.