According to The Athletic, Arsenal's new signing Christos Tzolis has impressed in his first five weeks at the club, with his dribbling already exciting fans of the Premier League champions.

Arsenal's 3-0 home win against Coventry on Friday may have only been Tzolis's second official appearance in a red and white shirt, but his impactful dribbling has already thrilled fans.

The 24-year-old Greece international has always had a clear characteristic throughout his career: a constant willingness to create threats in the attacking third.

Tzolis was born in Thessaloniki, a city in northern Greece, and came through the academy of his hometown club, PAOK. In March 2020, when the pandemic broke out, he was only 18. At that time, he had scored 19 goals in 23 games for the PAOK U19 team, but his upward trajectory was forcibly interrupted.

After the lockdown ended and football returned that summer, first-team manager Abel Ferreira and the coaching staff were struck by Tzolis's aggression when dribbling towards goal, combining direct attacking with technical ability. Despite not being exceptionally tall, he was already physically strong, qualities that gave the PAOK coaching staff the confidence to give him his first-team debut in June of that year, in the Super League play-off against domestic giants Olympiacos.

Carlos Martinho, who was Ferreira's assistant coach at PAOK, told The Athletic: "We knew in the U19 team that he was a player with above-average talent, and he would occasionally train with us."

"The pandemic break ultimately became a key factor, because it allowed him to start training systematically with us every day. During that time, he clearly showed that he had reached the level of more experienced players. So when the league restarted and we put him in the starting lineup, he didn't feel the pressure. He handled it naturally, because he already felt like a first-team player, an option we could rely on.

"Without that forced 'pre-season preparation,' his breakthrough might not have been so quick or so obvious."

Tzolis's first senior start as a teenager came a few weeks later in the Greek Cup semi-final against Olympiacos. PAOK lost 4-3 on aggregate, but won the competition the following season with Tzolis's help, a season that began with a highly declarative individual performance from him.

Martinho recalled the Champions League qualifier against Besiktas: "It was memorable to see that young player we had promoted just two months earlier score two goals and provide an assist." PAOK won the second qualifier 3-1.

In the seventh minute, Tzolis scored his first goal with a right-footed curling shot into the top corner of the far post, running straight to the bench to celebrate. In the 24th minute, he was in the right place at the right time in the six-yard box to score with his left foot, making it 2-0. Less than half an hour later, he provided a first-time left-footed cross from outside the six-yard box for the opposing winger and captain Dimitrios Pelkas to easily tap in – very similar to the pass he made to assist Saka's goal against Coventry on Friday.

Ferreira told The Athletic: "Christos has a very strong competitive mentality and strictly follows every instruction we give him. He is one of the players we focused on developing, and he never stopped improving. Congratulations to him, his parents, his youth coaches, and also to PAOK for believing in him and investing in him.

"Now we see the results. I'm not at all surprised to see his name at Arsenal."

Now 24, Tzolis's inner drive seems to be as impressive as his incisive dribbles.

Martinho described Tzolis: "Off the pitch, he was initially shy and more reserved, but once training started and he realized we trusted him, he changed. It's fascinating how that shyness disappeared once the ball started rolling, and he displayed all the attacking aggression and focus that make him such a special player today."

Dutch goalkeeper Tim Krul, who played for Newcastle United, crossed paths with the forward at Norwich, which was Tzolis's first major move to England. In August 2021, after a full season in the first team, 19-year-old Tzolis moved to newly promoted Norwich for £10 million; that season he scored 16 goals and provided 10 assists, and was named PAOK Player of the Year and Greek Super League Young Player of the Season.

Krul told The Athletic: "I have very fond memories of Christos. We always laughed a lot. I tried to learn some Greek words on Duolingo and mumbled some nonsense, which he loved.

"Coming to a different country at 19 isn't easy. I've seen many talented players, and the key is how you deal with setbacks. Unfortunately, that spell at Norwich wasn't successful for anyone involved, but his subsequent loans to the Netherlands and Germany, and then his permanent transfer to Belgium, show his resilience and that he doesn't shy away from hard work.

"To get through all that, and to leave home and friends so frequently, really tests your mentality."

Tzolis scored a brace on his Norwich debut, helping the team to a 6-0 win over Bournemouth in the League Cup, but he only started three of his 14 league appearances as the team was relegated straight back to the Championship that season. The presence of Greek compatriot and former PAOK teammate Dimitris Giannoulis made his time at Carrow Road a little easier.

The following summer, he joined Dutch side Twente on loan, with modest statistics; then, during a loan spell at German second-division club Fortuna Düsseldorf, Tzolis rediscovered his scoring touch, bagging 24 goals and providing 8 assists in the 2023-24 season.

Tzolis once spoke about needing to regain his confidence during that period.

Krul said: "He was the right player at the wrong time and in the wrong place, because he was too early for the Premier League, both physically and mentally. If you're not in a team that always controls the game, but rather plays more on the counter, you need players around you to create space, but he always had three defenders around him.

"But I can't praise his professionalism enough. He always stayed behind to practice free-kicks and shooting. Those free-kick training sessions brought us a lot of joy. He would miss a lot, but as soon as he scored one, he would celebrate as if he had scored 20 in a row."

These extra training sessions after Norwich training have greatly benefited his subsequent clubs and could be even more helpful for Arsenal this season.

In the 2025-26 season, Tzolis provided 29 assists in 52 appearances across all competitions for Club Brugge, 9 of which came from set-pieces (8 corners, 1 free-kick). Although Rice has resumed taking corners since returning from the World Cup break, Tzolis has consistently taken on set-piece duties during pre-season friendlies; Arsenal scored 25 goals from set-pieces last season, more than any other team in the Premier League.

Manager Mikel Arteta also saw the fruits of Tzolis's years of hard work off the pitch, dating back to his time in Greece, in his Premier League debut, which could further enhance the North London side's strength.

When he emerged under Ferreira at PAOK, the coaching staff heavily emphasized Tzolis's diagonal runs off the ball. They practiced extensively with him on cutting inside from the wing and then drifting back out – a sight seen against Coventry when he drifted in from the left and found Saka in the box.

Martinho said: "Christos's movement has always been very direct and very vertical. We tried to utilize his strong two-footedness and trained him extensively on reading the game in transition moments, and he's extremely good at that."

In addition to his willingness to improve his skills, Tzolis's character has also left a deep impression.

Those who know him at PAOK say he is extremely focused and very professional; in a more private setting, Krul added: "He's a very easy-going and fun lad.

"He was always very clever and loved football. Even back then, he was obsessed with fantasy football. He breathes football, knows everything about all the players and teams. I also saw a video of him saying goodbye to Club Brugge, and the whole stadium was applauding him. That says a lot, because it's not common to be able to return to a club with dignity later on."

After Tzolis spoke in a post-match interview about assisting Saka's goal against Coventry, most Arsenal fans learned that he had picked himself as captain in his fantasy football team. When asked about this, Krul added: "That's his sense of humor."

Five years after his first English adventure, he now seems to have finally arrived at the right place at the right time.

Krul said: "He is a role model for many young talents of the new generation. Even if you are hyped as a world-class talent, sometimes it takes time to fully realize your potential. He hasn't reached the end, but the step he's taken by joining Arsenal is a huge validation for him, and I'm really happy for him.

"He's a very clever boy, so he will stay grounded and continue to work hard, because he knows he hasn't reached the end yet. From what I know of him, he will work even harder and move to the next level."

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