£34m winger wants to join Arsenal

This summer is all about creating a dynasty for Arsenal. It is about finding the necessary recruits to help them win a second league title in as many years.

That, of course, is easier said than done. Not many teams have done it back to back before. It’s hard enough to win it even once. The Gunners went 22 years before finally lifting the Premier League again.

Who will come in to help them do that remains to be seen. The leading targets in attack would appaer to be PSG’s Bradley Barcola and Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers.

Whoever it is, it’s abundantly clear that Mikel Arteta needs to sign one or two wingers.

Why Arsenal need to sign a new winger this summer

Pick holes in a title-winning team if you dare. Arsenal possessed the finest defence in world football last season, shipping just 27 goals in the league. David Raya kept a ridiculous 19 clean sheets in his 37 Premier League appearances.

Yet, going forward, the Gunners lacked a cutting edge that was there early into Arteta’s early tenure at the Emirates Stadium.

Sure, Bukayo Saka endured his fitness problems but that only illuminated the lack of quality elsewhere on the flanks. Noni Madueke helped to ensure Saka was not overplayed but he struggled immensely for consistency.

Indeed, after arriving in a surprise deal from Chelsea, the 24-year-old bagged just three goals in 26 league outings. It didn’t get much better elsewhere.

Gabriel Martinelli netted 11 in all competitions but only one of those goals came in the Premier League. As for Leandro Trossard, he enjoyed a better campaign than others in the forward line but was still found wanting as far as consistency is concerned.

The Belgian scored that precious winning goal away at West Ham but that is the only goal he has scored at club level in the whole of 2026 to date.

On that evidence, it will come as little surprise to see that the former Brighton man is set to leave. Besiktas have agreed a £17m fee to take him to Turkey with only personal terms now left to iron out.

Trossard’s exit only hastens the need for a new winger. Fortunately, one could be on the way very soon.

Prolific winger now wants to seal move to Arsenal

Arsenal have made the signing of a new winger a priority and given the points just made, that’s the correct thing to do.

Barcola and Rogers are the primary targets but trying to complete those deals will be incredibly tricky judging by the reported asking prices. The former is set to cost upwards of £116m while Aston Villa have slapped a barmy £130m price tag on Rogers’ shoulders.

As a result, it could well be that Arsenal explore a cheaper alternative. While Bruno Guimaraes has made it known after the World Cup that he would like to join Arsenal, Greek winger Christos Tzolis is another player pushing for a move to the Emirates.

Greek journalist Dimitros Manakos reports that Tzolis has already spoken directly with officials at Arsenal and he has signified that he would like to seal a switch to the Emirates. The Gunners are yet to submit an official bid but have been exploring moves. It’s previously been reported that it could take a fee of £34m to prise him away from Club Brugge.

So, why would this be such a shrewd signing? Well, it’s not the marquee addition that fans were maybe hoping for this summer but if it’s Tzolis and one of Rogers or Barcola, there is no harm whatsoever in getting this move done.

After all, he’s actually more prolific than both of them. Last term, the Greece international was in staggering form for Brugge, scoring 22 goals and supplying 29 assists in 52 matches. You won’t find many better wingers than that across Europe, even if the Belgium Pro League is a cut below Europe’s top five leagues. For context, Barcola netted 13 and Rogers scored 14 last season.

For those wondering what else Tzolis could bring, well, he’s something of a mini Barcola. A creative and goalscoring threat from the left who has immense ball carrying skills.

Compared to positionally similar players in Europe’s top five leagues, the 23-year-old ranks among the best 18% of players for progressive carries per 90 minutes with 3.61. To put that into context, Barcola averaged 3.70 in Ligue 1 last season.

Both of them are phenomenal in tight spaces with a former analyst for a Football League club noting that Tzolis can “destroy a low block with technical actions in tight spaces and kill you in open spaces in transition with speed and power.” That certainly sounds like Barcola, doesn’t it?

We’ve seen just how dangerous the Frenchman is during the World Cup, popping up with two excellent goals for his nation. Arsenal would no doubt love to bring him to north London but Tzolis wouldn’t be a bad backup.