Norwich struggles to assist king - Tzolis could be Arsenal gem

Arsenal moved for Tzolis after the best season of his career where he was involved in 40 goals, scoring 17 times and providing 23 assists as Club Brugge were crowned league champions in Belgium.But before that there had been struggles, notably during his three years at Norwich, scoring just three times in 30 appearances between 2021-2024. He impressed while on loan at German second-tier side Fortuna Dusseldorf in 2023-24, where he scored 24 goals in 35 games before he left Norwich for Club Brugge and became one of star players in the division. Since then he has not looked back and Tzolis has developed to become one of the most reliable creators in Europe. Alongside his two assists, he played more passes into the final third than anyone else in the Gunners team in Cardiff and, despite lacking noticeable pace, Tzolis is extremely effective while on the ball with his work-rate appreciated by manager Mikel Arteta. Tzolis has replaced Leandro Trossard, who joined Besiktas in July, and Arteta has said there are similarities between the pair. Trossard recorded more goal involvements in last season's Champions League, but the Greece international produced almost twice as many chances (13 compared to seven) and completed more passes in the final third (138 compared to 80).Tzolis' performance will not be a surprise for those who have followed his career as he has proved he can shine against Europe's top sides already. In last season's Champions League he scored against Atalanta and Atletico Madrid, while registering an assist against Barcelona.Of the 135 chances he created in the Belgian Pro League across the 2025-26 campaign, 52 came from dead-ball situations (38.5%), with his assist for Piero Hincapie against Real Betis during pre-season via a corner. What has been noticeable during this pre-season is how naturally Tzolis has slotted into the Arsenal attack. "I think he's coming into the team really organically," Arteta said."He's fit in, he's a really intelligent boy and he has a massive quality which is when he's in the last 20-30 metres he's so composed to pick people in and around the box, or to finish actions."First impressions count and Tzolis made a significant one in Cardiff with the feeling that operating within the quality of Arsenal's squad, with a higher level of talent around him, can help him improve further."That's a natural quality" Arteta added, of the winger's decision-making. "He has better players around him, you put him in more and more situations so the volume is higher with the level of quality that he has, the numbers will be higher, "He's so eager to learn, to improve, to practise and it's not a coincidence, he's a really consistent player in everything that he does and I'm really impressed with him."