Christos Tzolis

Official: Tzolis signs for Arsenal (No. 17)

Arsenal have officially announced the signing of Christos Tzolis, the Greece left winger (24, Belgian Golden Shoe), from Club Brugge for ≈ £34m (~€40m) — a record fee for a Greek player. Five-year deal until 2031, squad number 17. The summer's third signing after Hincapié and Meslier, he replaces Trossard (who left for Besiktas). «It's absolutely amazing to sign for such a big club, the champions of England,» the player said; Berta hailed «an extremely versatile attacking player who will raise the technical level of our squad.»

Latest development

Player has made his decision per TeamTalk (July 1): Tzolis 'very keen' to join Arsenal (Football365, Ornstein angle). Berta accelerating on this deal alongside a second attacking signing. ~£35m (Belgian record). Arteta on board. No club-to-club deal yet. **UPDATE July 3**: Ornstein clarifies Tzolis is not Arsenal's marquee left-wing signing (that role goes to Rogers/Barcola) but rather quality attacking depth — Club Brugge reportedly already lining up his replacement (Mert Komur, Augsburg), which could smooth the deal (goonernews.com, footballtransfers.com). **UPDATE July 10**: The Sun (relayed by FootballTransfers) place Arsenal 'close' to a ~£35m agreement (€41.7m, a record for a Greek player) ahead of a medical, the dossier having been unlocked by resolving Trossard's exit. To be treated with caution: a single tabloid source, uncorroborated by Ornstein/Romano — status unchanged pending confirmation from a top-tier source. **UPDATE July 10 (evening)**: the dossier hardens and moves beyond the morning's single source — several outlets (FootballTransfers, GiveMeSport, CaughtOffside, AFTV, Read Arsenal, NowArsenal) now place Arsenal 'close to a full agreement' with Club Brugge around €41m (~£35m), which would make Tzolis the most expensive Greek player ever (ahead of Manolas). The unlock reportedly comes from Trossard's confirmed exit to Besiktas; an arrival before the 2026/27 start is deemed likely. Still no named Ornstein/Romano confirmation, but the weight of converging sources clearly moves this up a notch. **UPDATE July 11**: first confirmation from a top-tier source — Fabrizio Romano places Arsenal in 'regular contact' with Tzolis's camp, the player keen to join (CaughtOffside, Football365, July 11). Romano does temper the previous day's 'done deal' framing, though: the dossier remains at the negotiation stage, contingent on Trossard's exit (Besiktas pushing), with Brugge asking ~€37.5m against Arsenal's ~£35m target. Status unchanged (TRÈS FIABLE), but the sourcing finally rises to the top tier. **UPDATE July 14**: the dossier is now explicitly contingent on Trossard's exit, which is accelerating (Arsenal have authorised the Belgian's travel and medical for Besiktas). Romano and Ornstein maintain Tzolis is on course to be Arsenal's first summer signing; the player's camp is said to have paused other options, telling suitors 'we are waiting for Arsenal', despite another club entering the race in recent days. A signing is expected as soon as Trossard's departure frees up the left-wing slot. **UPDATE July 14 (evening)**: the blocker is gone. Once Arsenal officially confirmed the Trossard-Besiktas agreement during the day, Berta reacted immediately by making 'official contact' with Club Brugge over Tzolis — reported by two sources (Football365, TeamTalk) and corroborated by Romano, who describes a plan to 'immediately accelerate'. Note the nuance: this is a first formal contact, not a bid — no official offer has been submitted at this stage. Romano also clarifies the shape of the attacking recruitment: Tzolis would be the quality backup on the wing, while Arsenal simultaneously pursue a top-class winger (Rogers still leads the shortlist). The reported fee remains ~€41m (£35m), which would make Tzolis the most expensive Greek player ever. Ornstein separately confirms Arsenal are 'exploring' the deal, with the player deemed gettable at around €40m after his 22 goals and 29 assists in 52 games this season. Status unchanged (TRÈS FIABLE): the dossier moves a notch towards the concrete, still without a club-to-club agreement. **UPDATE July 15**: with Trossard’s exit now official, Club Brugge are waiting on a formal Arsenal offer — and it hasn’t landed yet. The Belgian press (Tomas Taecke for HLN, Valerie van Avermaet for Nieuwsblad, relayed by DailyCannon) describe an «exploratory» contact between the clubs: no formal negotiation open, no bid submitted, no contract proposal made to the player. The fee, though, is being pitched lower than the £35m repeated all week: £30-35m depending on the payment structure, against Brugge’s target package of around £40m. On the player side, Ben Jacobs reports Tzolis has told Arsenal he wants the move and has waved off rival approaches — Roma, Atlético and Borussia Dortmund are all linked, with the Emirates his preferred destination and personal terms not an obstacle. Status unchanged (TRÈS FIABLE): the intent is clear on both sides, the club-to-club negotiation is still to open. **UPDATE July 16**: the dossier now has a date. Fabrizio Romano reports club-to-club talks with Club Brugge «soon», Tzolis having always been seen internally as the ideal candidate to replace Trossard; the Greece winger has not entertained any other approach this window. Konstantinos Lianos (The Sun) puts completion «probably by Monday, July 20», the day pre-season starts — Tzolis would then be Arsenal’s third summer signing after Hincapié and Meslier. Ben Jacobs sticks to a £30-35m range depending on the structure of the deal. Still no formal bid submitted: that is the missing step, and Brugge are waiting on it. Romano also notes this deal has no bearing on the pursuit of Morgan Rogers. Status unchanged (TRÈS FIABLE): the intent and the timeline sharpen, the bid is still to come. **UPDATE July 16 (evening)**: it is done, or as good as. David Ornstein reported during the day that Arsenal have reached an agreement with Club Brugge for Tzolis, the «deal done» at €40m — exactly the Belgians’ asking price, and above the £30-35m range floated that same morning. Fabrizio Romano followed with a «here we go»: deal signed between the two clubs, with Brugge clearing the player for his medical. Personal terms had been settled for days (Nico Schira reports a long contract to 2031, worth around €3m a year — a second-tier figure, to be confirmed). Tzolis never entertained rival approaches and had given Arsenal his word. A few administrative formalities remain before the medical and signature, the aim being to wrap it up before the July 20 return; he would then be the summer’s third signing after Hincapié and Meslier, and the most expensive Greek player ever. Two important caveats: the club have announced nothing at this stage (status TRÈS FIABLE, not OFFICIEL), and both Ornstein and Romano repeat that this deal is independent of the Morgan Rogers pursuit — Tzolis arrives as quality depth on the wing, not as the marquee signing. Progress raised to ACCORD CLUBS. **UPDATE July 19**: nothing changes on substance, everything falls into place on process. Fabrizio Romano reported on July 17 that the **medical and contract signing are booked**, the player having waved off every other approach. More telling, confirmation now comes from the other side: **Ivan Leko, Club Brugge's head coach, publicly confirmed Tzolis is joining Arsenal** — the Belgians approved the sale because their asking price was met. The timeline is unchanged: wrap it up before pre-season resumes on Monday July 20. Still no official Arsenal announcement, so the status is unchanged (TRÈS FIABLE, ACCORD CLUBS) until it lands on arsenal.com. **UPDATE July 20 (evening)**: the timeline sharpens. Tzolis is reportedly expected in London on Tuesday July 21 to complete the final formalities, with his unveiling as the third summer signing (after Hincapié and Meslier) now hoped for midweek, around Wednesday July 22 (Read Arsenal, Yahoo Sports). Second-tier sourcing on the exact timing, but it is consistent and extends the deal already confirmed by Ornstein/Romano. Nothing changes on substance: only the club's announcement is missing. Status unchanged (TRÈS FIABLE, ACCORD CLUBS). **UPDATE July 22**: the medical is underway. Tzolis has arrived in London and completed part of his medical, with the rest booked to follow before an unveiling deemed 'imminent' (NowArsenal, July 21). The sourcing gains weight: Sky Sports now confirm the agreement with Club Brugge to replace Trossard, the fee settling around £33.8m (~€40m). He would become the summer's third signing after Hincapié and Meslier. Still no official Arsenal announcement, so the status is unchanged (TRÈS FIABLE, ACCORD CLUBS) until it lands on arsenal.com. **UPDATE July 23 (OFFICIAL)**: it's done. Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Christos Tzolis on arsenal.com, verified by Sky Sports, Yahoo Sports and every tracker. A five-year deal until 2031, squad number 17, fee ≈ £34m (~€40m) — a record for a Greek player. The Greece winger becomes the summer's third signing after Hincapié and Meslier, replacing Trossard (Besiktas). In his first words he said he was «very proud» to join «the champions of England» and described himself as «a direct player, going for goals or assists»; Andrea Berta praised «an extremely versatile attacking player» comfortable across the front line. Status raised to OFFICIEL.