Christos Tzolis: Arsenal's New Star Left Winger
Arsenal may still be scouring the market for another forward before the window shuts on September 1, but Jamie Carragher is convinced the answer to one of their biggest attacking questions is already in the building.
Carragher hails “what a left winger”
The former Liverpool defender could hardly contain his admiration for Christos Tzolis after the Greek winger lit up Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Coventry City, laying on an assist for Bukayo Saka on his Premier League debut.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Carragher said: “Tzolis has been excellent on his Premier League debut. What a left winger Arsenal have got.”
It was more than a polite nod to a new signing. Carragher’s verdict cut right into Arsenal’s current dilemma on the left flank, an area the club have been actively trying to reinforce.
Tzolis arrived from Club Brugge in a £34m deal this summer, recruited to help Arsenal defend their Premier League crown and push deeper into the Champions League. Many assumed he would simply replace Leandro Trossard, who left for Besiktas after playing his part in ending the Gunners’ 20‑plus year wait for a league title.
That script already looks outdated.
Not here to make up the numbers
Tzolis has impressed since the first ball of pre-season was kicked. He carried that form into the Community Shield, showing against Manchester City that he was not just another squad body, but a player intent on forcing his way into Mikel Arteta’s strongest XI.
The performance against Coventry only underlined it. Direct. Aggressive. Productive. Exactly what Arsenal have been missing at times from that side of the pitch.
Arteta’s reaction matched Carragher’s enthusiasm.
“I love that a player that has been with us just for a few weeks gets this kind of energy every time he's on the ball. I think he's earned it,” the Arsenal manager said after the win over the Sky Blues.
“I think the way he has performed in the last few games has been phenomenal. What he transmits as a player is so direct, so incisive, constantly. He wants to make things happen, and he has done an incredible variety of actions in the last 30 metres.
“I think it's up to him to make the right decisions. Even the spaces are sometimes really, really small. I'm very happy with him.
“It was great because the start is always tricky; we played a team that had a long time to prepare as well, and they are really good at what they do, but I've been really impressed with what I have seen so far.”
When a manager talks like that about a new signing, it usually means one thing: minutes, responsibility, trust.
Big names on the radar, big fee saved?
Arsenal’s recruitment team have not slowed down. The club have explored the market for another left winger and were heavily linked with a blockbuster move for Vinicius Junior before the Brazilian committed his future to Real Madrid with a new contract at the Bernabeu.
The search has continued. Julian Alvarez, Bradley Barcola and Kenan Yildiz have all been mentioned as potential targets as the Gunners chase more cutting edge in the final third. None of them would come cheap. All three would demand huge transfer fees.
That is where Carragher’s point bites hardest. With Tzolis already delivering goals and assists from the left, Arsenal may have stumbled upon the very solution they were prepared to spend big to find.
If the Greek winger keeps this up, the question facing Arsenal by September 1 might not be “who do they sign?” but “who can take his place in the team?”
