52 G/A last season 

©TM/IMAGO

Arsenal are reportedly weighing up a move for Club Brugge playmaker Christos Tzolis this summer as Mikel Arteta looks to refresh his attacking options. The newly-crowned Premier League champions are looking to bolster their squad ahead of a difficult title defence and widespread reports suggest enquiries have been made regarding the 24-year-old’s availability.

Tzolis is rated as one of Brugge’s top players and enjoyed a phenomenal campaign in 2025/26, scoring 22 goals and registering 29 assists in 52 club appearances – that’s an astonishing 51 goals and assists and ensuring he guarantees at least one every game. As the graphic below shows, only Bayern Munich pair Harry Kane (68) and Michael Olise (54) can demonstrate a better record. Tzolis’ tally of goal contributions in all competitions even surpasses stars such as Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal, offering some context behind Arsenal’s interest.

Of course, there is a valid point to make that the Pro League is not considered one of the top five European Leagues. But passing a half-century of goals and assists in one season is still a remarkable achievement at any professional level. Tzolis was particularly instrumental in helping his side claim the league title following the Jupiler Pro League’s Championship Round, bagging eight goals and creating 10 for his team-mates in just 10 matches. That firmly established him as a clutch player for his team.

Meteoric rise after Norwich nightmare

Tzolis has been linked with Newcastle and Crystal Palace in the past, but the clubs baulked at the Belgian outfit’s €40 million asking price. However, such a fee would be within Arsenal’s price range as they target an overhaul of their left-sided attacking options. Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard could both be sold this summer, with Tzolis and Bradley Barcola on Mikel Arteta’s shortlist of targets.

Arsenal have a knack of recruiting Greek players over the years: Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Stathis Tavlaridis are all appreciated by the club. There may be some reservations about signing Tzolis, however, after his €11 million transfer from PAOK to Norwich City in August 2021.

At the time, he was 19 and struggled to adapt to life in England, scoring just three goals before being loaned out to Fortuna Dusseldorf and FC Twente. His market value fell from €12 million to €5 million in the space of two years. Now, he has recovered with Brugge and at €40 million is the most valuable player in the Pro League by some margin.

Club Brugge’s knack for talent

The talent factory in Brugge has certainly been busy in recent years. Brentford swooped to sign Igor Thiago for €33 million two years ago and, while the Brazilian took a while to get going, he is now at the World Cup with the Selecao. Chemsdine Talbi has shown glimpses of his ability with Sunderland. Inter Milan paid 27 million to sign 20-year-old playmaker Aleksandar Stanković ahead of next season. Antonio Nusa signed for RB Leipzig after impressing in Belgium, while homegrown talent Maxim De Cuyper joined Brighton last summer.

Brugge’s record sale currently stands at €37 million when they sold Charles De Ketelaere to AC Milan in 2022/23. They repeated the trick last summer with Ardon Jashari, who sealed a €36 million move to the San Siro. Having snapped up Tzolis for just €6.5 million two years ago from Fortuna Dusseldorf, the Belgian champions look set to extract a fee six times bigger than their initial investment. Not bad business at all.

But for Arsenal, the deal might look even better on their side. Selling Martinelli and Trossard for reasonable fees in order to acquire a player at the top of his game can only be regarded as shrewd business in the market. Tzolis may well feel he has unfinished business in England after his short spell with Norwich, but the prospect of playing for the champions is a reminder of how far he has come since then.