Local time on July 23, The Telegraph reported that Arsenal's new signing, Tsolis, who had a disappointing spell at Norwich, has now been transformed. Previously, he was regarded as a top European young star, but his previous Premier League experience fell into a slump due to adaptation difficulties, team environment, and other factors. After joining Brugge, Tsolis re-proved his talent. Arsenal valued his creativity, finishing ability, and growth potential, hoping he would become a replacement for Trossard and fulfill his past talent on a higher platform.

The news that Arsenal signed Tsolis for £34 million will likely raise the same question for many Norwich fans: Is this really the same Tsolis who struggled at Carrow Road?

Literally speaking, the answer is yes, he is indeed the winger who played for Norwich back then. But in many ways, the answer is no. Today's Zolis is completely different from the young player who only scored 3 goals in 30 appearances in England.

The 24-year-old player will join Arsenal as a replacement for Leandro Trossard. His ability to take this step is built upon his impressive performances in Belgium over the past few years. A few weeks ago, Zolis was just named the Belgian Pro League Player of the Year, contributing 22 goals and 29 assists in all competitions for Brugge.

Since joining Düsseldorf on loan from Norwich in 2023, Tsolis has shown a stability and creativity he previously lacked, proving that the expectations people once had for him were not unfounded.

Even in his youth, he was considered one of the most promising young stars in European football. When he was in the youth academy of the Greek team PAOK, Barcelona even considered signing him at the age of 13. At that time, Tsolis scored 100 goals in 49 appearances for the PAOK U13 team.

Arsenal is not the first Premier League club to be attracted by PAOK's performance in Belgium. Last summer, Crystal Palace also tried to sign the winger. Clearly, neither Arsenal nor Crystal Palace have changed their assessment of him due to his difficult experience at Norwich.

In 2021, when Norwich signed Tsolis for £9 million, the deal was widely considered an excellent acquisition. He was only 19 at the time but had already made 8 appearances for the Greek national team and was regarded as one of the most anticipated young players in European football.

"He was one of the most talked-about young talents in European football when we signed him," said Stuart Webber, former sporting director of Norwich. "Everyone knew his name, the key was just to see who had the courage to sign him. We had been following him for many years and had been watching his performances in U17 matches. We had a very good scout, Mariella Nisotaki, who is from Greece and had been tracking Tsolis's development for a long time. When we were promoted to the Premier League, Norwich obviously became a more attractive club, and we also had the ability to afford his transfer fee. Norwich played Liverpool very early in the season, and Klopp mentioned him before the match. Klopp already knew about his achievements during his PAOK period. We knew we had a very good player."

However, Tsolis had a good start at Norwich, but soon lost his place. He made his debut and scored two goals in Norwich's 6-0 League Cup victory over Bournemouth, but was gradually marginalized by the team thereafter.

One key turning point was when he missed a penalty against Liverpool. He was not the designated penalty taker at the time. Then-Norwich manager Farke was very angry about it.

"Believe me, after I talked to him, he will never make such a mistake again," Farke said at the time.

Farke was sacked in November 2021, and Dean Smith took over. The change in the team's tactical system further affected Tsolis's development.

In 2024, he said in an interview with the Belgian media Het Nieuwsblad: "That was the toughest year of my career. Life off the pitch wasn't easy either, a 19-year-old living alone for the first time, in a city where there's almost nothing to do after 7 pm... It really wasn't fun at all. Want to go out for a coffee? After 7 pm, everything is closed."

After that, Tsolis was loaned to Twente, but the situation did not improve significantly, mainly because a knee injury affected his performance. In August 2023, he moved to the German second division team Düsseldorf, where he revitalized his career.

"He was very young at the time, coming to the most competitive league in the world, and the physicality of the Premier League is on another level," Webber said.

"He didn't succeed because we (Norwich) were a team in a difficult situation at the time, and the Premier League is very tough for young players. Attacking players playing for a team like Norwich can't expect to get 100 touches every game. If he had played for a team like Arsenal then, he might have succeeded from the start."

Arsenal has always favored players who have gone through difficulties and ultimately grown, and Tsolis clearly fits this criterion. Not only during his time at Norwich, but his previous life experiences were also full of challenges.

At the age of 14, due to financial difficulties, Tsolis's family left Greece for Germany. For Tsolis, this meant saying goodbye to friends, learning a new language, and leaving the PAOK youth academy. He joined a German club in Offenbach near Frankfurt, but the training level there was significantly lower than what he had received in Greece.

Fortunately, two years later, in 2018, the Tsolis family returned to Greece. PAOK had previously promised to keep an opportunity open for him, and the club delivered on its promise, welcoming him back into the youth system. He then consistently scored goals in the youth teams and was promoted to the first team during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

So, what kind of player has Arsenal signed?

Brugge coach Ivan Leko described Tsolis as "an excellent example of a truly professional player." He is always the first to arrive at training and the last to leave.

"He has always been very determined and obsessed with football," Webber said. "Among all the players I've worked with, his understanding of football is definitely among the best. He always trains extra, wanting to constantly make himself better."

Of course, this deal also carries some risks. The Belgian Pro League is not one of Europe's top leagues, and according to Opta statistics, the overall level of the Belgian league is even lower than the Championship. Arsenal has not had much success in recent years when signing players from outside Europe's top five leagues.

Under Mikel Arteta's tenure, Arsenal has signed 8 players from outside the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1. Of these, only Timber and Gyökeres can be considered successful signings.

However, Tsolis undoubtedly has the ability to change Arsenal's attack.

After joining Arsenal, he described his playing style as follows: "I am a direct player, I pursue goals or assists. This is my philosophy as an attacker, as a winger. I always crave goals, or to provide the final pass for my teammates."

Tsolis has good finishing ability with both feet and is very composed in his attacking choices. Stylistically, he has clear similarities with Trossard, but Arsenal hopes that Tsolis will be able to finish more efficiently than Trossard.

"He is not exceptionally fast, but he is a very good wide goalscorer," Webber commented.

"He has performed very well in attacking teams, such as Düsseldorf and Brugge. One of his greatest strengths is his finishing ability. Just get him to the edge of the box and he can score goals. Hopefully now, he can prove himself to be the player everyone thought he would become."

AF's PC site is now live! Browse full news, comments, match details and stats on your computer. Visit: www.allfootballapp.com