Arsenal drops £34m on Tzolis, fills Trossard's boots

The 24-year-old Greek winger now lands as the Premier League champions' answer to Trossard's departure. Trossard, of course, hopped off to Besiktas for a reported £17m just this week, a figure that almost makes you wonder what Arsenal were really thinking. Tzolis, Sky Sports tells us, had only one destination in mind once he caught wind of Arsenal's interest. Loyalty, or just a good agent? You decide.

This isn't his first rodeo on English soil, mind you. He did a stint at Norwich City. But it was at Brugge last season where he really started turning heads. The numbers speak for themselves, honestly: 17 goals, 23 assists across 36 league appearances. Not bad for a Belgian league, eh? His game profile? It’s basically Trossard 2.0. Left winger, first and foremost, but he can slot right into a No 10 role. Drifts wide, tucks in centrally. Adaptable, they call it. Or maybe just a bit indecisive, depends on your perspective.

Hayk Milkon, who was Club Brugge's assistant manager back when Tzolis was running riot, couldn't stop gushing about the kid's consistency and engine. "He's a guy that works a lot," Milkon told Sky Sports. "He runs a lot of kilometres in the game, but also at high speeds." Yeah, yeah, we get it, he runs. But keeping that up through the relentless grind of Champions League football? That actually means something. He kept those performances rock steady.

And here’s another 'Trossard-like' quality they’re highlighting: durability. At Brugge, the longest Tzolis was out injured? A grand total of two matches. Two. Compare that to Trossard, who barely knew what a physio's table looked like during his time at Arsenal. So, a similar iron man streak. Milkon also dropped a hint about his competitive spirit, noting that "emotional stability" was an area for "development." Read between the lines: this kid's got fire, wants to win, sometimes too much. Sounds like a proper player, then. Just like his predecessor, apparently.

Finally, because everyone loves a bit of gossip control, this Tzolis move is apparently completely separate from Arsenal's ongoing chase for Morgan Rogers. Sky Sports insists these are two entirely different spreadsheets. Right. As if clubs ever do just one thing at a time.