'What a player' – Arsenal stunned by Vinicius Junior alternative

9 Sept 2026 10:02 BST |
4 min read

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Arsenal may have missed out on the likes of Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez during the summer but their alternative Christos Tzolis is proving to be a star, according to claims from his former side Club Brugge.

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Tzolis joined Arsenal from Brugge in July for €40 million and the 24-year-old has started all three of the Gunners’ Premier League fixtures so far, even creating a goal in his side’s 2-1 win over Chelsea on Sunday.

Having also grabbed two assists on his debut in the Community Shield against Manchester City, Tzolis appears to be quickly adapting to life in North London and taking on the responsibility Arsenal had been hoping to get from a marquee signing.

Arsenal are understood to be delighted with Tzolis’ progress, with Club Brugge president Bart Verhaeghe revealing he had spoken to representatives from the Premier League side who had been full of praise for the Greek international.

“At the Champions League draw, I saw the Arsenal people, and they showed a tremendous amount of respect,” Verhaeghe told Het Belang van Limburg. “‘What a player you’ve delivered,’ they told me. ‘Excellent attitude, the best in the physical tests, and a great guy, too’.”

In another interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, he added: “‘What a player,’ Arsenal said when they approached me after the draw. Christos had come out on top in all the tests.”

Tzolis providing quality for Arsenal after Vini and Alvarez failures

Tzolis arrived to Arsenal with a relatively low profile, having previously spent three years with Norwich between 2021 and 2024, in which he scored just once in 27 league matches before being loaned out for two years.

© IMAGO – Christos Tzolis has had a bright start at Arsenal.

The winger eventually moved to Brugge where he became a star, scoring 33 times in 74 matches and being named the Belgian Professional Footballer of the Year last season.

Arsenal had been hoping to bring in another attacker with a higher pedigree to compete with Tzolis, particularly after the departure of Gabriel Martinelli last week, but they failed to get their top targets in Vini Jr and Alvarez, leading to Mikel Arteta putting his trust in his new Greek forward.