Tzolis: Joining Arsenal was an easy choice

Christos Tzolis revealed it was an "easy" decision to join Arsenal last month despite interest from other clubs.

Tzolis joined the Premier League champions in a £34m (€40m) deal from Club Brugge, having been signed as a replacement for Leandro Trossard.

The 24-year-old, who helped Brugge win the Belgium Pro League title last season, had an impressive 2025-26 campaign, scoring 22 goals and providing 29 assists across all competitions.

Across Europe's top 10 leagues, Tzolis recorded the most assists of any player in league matches last season (23).

He also recorded the most direct goal contributions (40) in the Belgian top-flight last term and completed the most successful crosses (97).

Tzolis previously made his Premier League debut against Arsenal for Norwich City back in 2021, and he noted the beauty of the full-circle moment.

"It was crazy," Tzolis told the media. "It was a very nice experience [even if] it was a tough period for both teams [Arsenal and Brugge].

"It's special because I played my first game in the Emirates, and now I'm a player for Arsenal.

"There are always some teams that talk, but Arsenal was directly the most concrete team, and that makes it easier to lock in and say, 'I just want to go there, and I don't want to hear anything else'.

"There were some teams trying, but it was an easy choice and clear that I want to join here."

Tzolis joined Norwich as a 19-year-old in August 2021 but only made 17 appearances in all competitions in his debut campaign as the Canaries were relegated.

He also featured for the Canaries in the following Championship season before going on loan to Twente and Fortuna Dusseldorf. He then permanently joined Brugge ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.

"It was my second professional year in football, and the team was not really ready for the Premier League," Tzolis, who scored in Arsenal's friendly win over Girona, said of his previous Premier League experience.

"That makes it difficult to adapt and to play how I could play because I'm a more offensive player who played for a team that has the ball and creates a lot of chances.

"In football, progress is not always going up where, directly, you can play at the highest level. The game time was not enough as a young player to develop, and that was the bad thing about the Norwich situation.

"That's why I went to Dusseldorf, to get my confidence back, because I knew I had the skills and qualities to score the goals. Even though it was not the highest level, it was good to play every game and have the feeling that you can score, create and play well.

"I've now had three years in a row that I'm important for my teams and had a big role in attack. I feel more ready to be in the Premier League.

"I'm not the same player I was in Norwich, 100%. I feel it in my body and also in my mindset. Now it's my time to show that I'm ready and capable of playing in the Premier League."

Arsenal have also been linked with a move for Vinicius Junior, with uncertainty surrounding the Brazilian's future at Real Madrid.

He is entering the last year of his deal with Madrid, who are reportedly confident they can tie him down with a new contract, though Arsenal are still monitoring the situation.

Should Vinicius make the switch to the Emirates, he would be in competition for a starting place with Tzolis, but the Greece international is ready to nail down his spot.

"Obviously, I'm confident as a player, so I don't think about the future and what the club will do in this position," he said.

"I'm thinking how to improve and settle as fast as possible in the club because I have the opportunity to train directly with the team from the beginning of the season, to play the friendly games and then to go to official games.

"It's a chance to play directly from the beginning, and then it's up to me to show the qualities and what I can bring in the team. I'm pretty confident that I will show it in the next games."