Imminent Arsenal signing Christos Tzolis couldn’t get into Norwich’s team earlier in his career.
The Greece winger is set to join the Premier League champions from Club Brugge in a £34million deal.
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His arrival at the Emirates Stadium is edging closer after the two clubs agreed a fee for the 24-year-old.
Tzolis’ move follows the departure of Leandro Trossard to Besiktas.
Ahead of joining the Premier League champions, he may already be a familiar face to some fans in England.
Norwich rejection
Prior to starring for Club Brugge in Belgium, Tzolis had an ill-fated spell at Carrow Road.
He joined the Canaries aged 19 from Greek club PAOK in August 2021, but made just nine starts across three years.
In his 30 appearances across all competitions, Tzolis scored three goals and provided two assists.
The youngster was also loaned out to FC Twente and Fortuna Dusseldorf before being sold to the latter in 2024.
Reflecting on his time in Norfolk two years ago, Tzolis told Belgian publication Nieuwsblad, as quoted by The Sun: “The decision was not in my hands when the offer from Norwich came, as they had made PAOK a large offer.
“I had no problem because the Premier League is one of the best competitions in the world.
“I didn’t give much importance to the amount of my transfer at that time. I just wanted to play, get minutes and enjoy the game. That didn’t happen at Norwich.
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“After seven games, Daniel Farke, the coach who supported me, was fired. Dean Smith, when he came in, had a completely different structure in mind.
“That was a choice that I had to respect, but it was the most difficult year of my career.
“The first time I didn’t play with the first team, but with the second, I was very disappointed. That was the lowest point of my career.
“My agent and my family had to convince me not to give up. And life off the pitch wasn’t easy back then.”
Daniel Farke was sacked in November 2021, just three months after signing Tzolis.
Having finished as 2. Bundesliga top scorer during his time on loan in Dusseldorf, Tzolis earned an immediate move to Club Brugge.
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In the two seasons since, he has scored 43 goals and added 45 assists in 108 appearances for the club.
His performances also saw Tzolis earn the Belgian Professional Footballer of the Year award last season.
Transfer plans
The forward is now set to follow Piero Hincapie and Illan Meslier in completing permanent moves to Arsenal this summer.
However, Tzolis is unlikely to be the last player to join Mikel Arteta’s side during the current transfer window.
The Gunners are also set to bid for Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers following talks with both his current club and the player.
Meanwhile, Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes has informed the Magpies of his desire to complete a high-profile switch to the Emirates Stadium.
Further moves for Julian Alvarez, Eli Junior Kroupi and Bradley Barcola could also still develop in the coming weeks.
