ไทย
English
中國人
Arsenal have no plans to sit still this summer, having ended a 22-year drought to win back the Premier League title in May.
The Gunners have already confirmed the permanent signing of Piero Hincapié from Bayer Leverkusen and brought in free agent goalkeeper Ilian Meslier to provide cover between the posts. Further additions are on the way, with Club Brugge's Christos Tzolis expected to be the next arrival at the Emirates.
Arsenal are set to directly replace Leandro Trossard with the Greek international. Trossard, who made valuable contributions during the club's title-winning campaign last season, joined Turkish side Beşiktaş following his return from the World Cup.
While fans are hoping Tzolis won't be the only attacking recruit Arsenal make this summer, there is considerable anticipation around what the 24-year-old can bring to Mikel Arteta's title-holders.
Club Brugge Manager Confirms 'Very Sad' Tzolis Departure
Fabrizio Romano reported Arsenal's agreement for Tzolis on Thursday, though the transfer has yet to be officially finalized.
Nevertheless, Brugge head coach Ivan Leko — whose first match in charge of the Belgian club happened to be against Arsenal in the Champions League back in December — has acknowledged the Greek winger's imminent exit.
"[I am] very happy for him," Leko told DAZN (via The Standard) following Brugge's preseason friendly against Heerenveen on Friday. "I am very sad for me on one side, because we are losing a top player."
Tzolis, who made 14 Premier League appearances for Norwich City in 2021–22, registered 88 goal contributions across 108 appearances for Brugge and was in outstanding form during the run-in last season as Leko's team clinched a 20th league championship.
"I am convinced that he will have his minutes, that he will show some highest level in the Premier League and Champions League at Arsenal, and he will show that he is a top player and absolutely deserves to go and be there," Leko added.
Arsenal Chasing Alternatives After Chelsea Hijack Morgan Rogers Deal
Arsenal had also been heavily pursuing Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, independently of the Tzolis pursuit.
Fabrizio Romano went as far as claiming the Gunners were "all in" on Rogers, but their pursuit has been derailed by Chelsea's £117 million ($157.28 million) offer. Rogers is now set to put pen to paper on a six-year deal with the Blues, leaving Arsenal to look elsewhere.
The Gunners are keen to land a top-quality attacker to strengthen a forward line that showed inconsistency at times during their title run. Should they be in the market for another wide player alongside Tzolis, Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola would seem a natural target.
Enable functional cookies to see this feature.
That said, the Premier League champions have also been linked with Bournemouth's Eli Junior Kroupi and Atlético Madrid's Julián Alvarez.
Sporting director Andrea Berta appears to be juggling several options simultaneously, with the club's next move following the Rogers setback still uncertain.