Personal terms close as Arsenal plan to sign instant Tzolis upgrade

Arsenal couldn’t do it again next season, could they? They couldn’t go one better in the Champions League and avenge their defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the final on penalties, could they?

Mikel Arteta believes that, yes, his outfit are ready to do it all again next season, with the Gunners decision-makers working hard this summer to get key deals across the line.

In midfield and attack, more is needed, but Arsenal have acted smartly to replace Leandro Trossard as he signs for Besiktas, landing Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge.

What Christos Tzolis will bring to Arsenal

Tzolis has played in the Premier League before. There he flopped while at Norwich City in 2021/22, but the Greek winger has since come on leaps and bounds and has made quite the name for himself in Belgium with Club Brugge, notching 88 goal involvements from 108 matches.

Last season alone, the 24-year-old scored 22 goals and supplied 29 assists for his outfit, so it does feel like he has a particular set of skills that Arsenal are currently searching for in attack.

A deal has not yet been finalised, but the Gunners have agreed a £34m fee for his signature, which would represent a Belgian Pro League record.

Think of Tzolis in the same manner you might consider Viktor Gyokeres’ role in the Arsenal team: he is innately clinical and will contribute toward the solution of one of the biggest problems at Arsenal, but he is not going to drastically improve the technical fluency of this team.

In that, he could be a shrewd Trossard replacement. The Belgian became more and more talismanic over his years at the Emirates, but he was a clutch attacker at his core, someone who pulled out any number of trump cards for Arteta and his side.

Arsenal nearly in agreement with Tzolis upgrade

Tzolis will add a much-needed dimension to Arsenal’s frontline, but whether he will emerge as a talisman for Arteta is another question. Even if the Londoners refrain from signing a centre-forward, they may need an elite forward of some description.

Arsenal are expected to make a formal approach for Aston Villa attacker Morgan Rogers this summer. The Three Lions star has emerged as Arteta’s top target, and Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that personal terms are “almost agreed” between the club and the player’s representatives.

The transfer reporter went on to outline that while “advanced conversations on the player side” continue, Emirates technical director Andrea Berta is “ready to negotiate” in an official capacity, with “club-to-club talks also expected to start soon”.

By focusing their sights on the England attacking midfielder, Arsenal are cooling their interest in Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola, who is at the top of Liverpool’s shortlist.

While Tzolis is an exciting player, Rogers is cut from finer cloth, his focal role in Villa’s emergence as a Champions League power and a title-winning Europa League outfit establishing him as “one of the best midfielders” in the game, as said by NBC Sports commentator Robbie Mustoe.

Since joining Aston Villa from Middlesbrough for just £8m, Rogers has posted 31 goals and 29 assists across 125 matches. His power and precision when driving into the danger area from midfield or the wing makes him a rare and invaluable profile, someone who could cement themselves as a superstar at the Emirates.

His eye for goal, too, could see him eclipse Tzolis, adding to the Gunners the formula for most hits in the final third. Aside from Gyokeres, no Arsenal player hit double digits in the Premier League scoring charts last season.

In effect, Rogers shares a number of properties with Tzolis, but he operates at an even higher level, duelling with strength and intensity, carrying the ball forward with an intelligence that perfectly matches his physicality.

Arsenal need to improve in an attacking capacity if they are to consolidate the Arteta era with even more silverware, and by signing Rogers, they would make a strong and sure-footed step toward that.

Tzolis is a nice addition, but he does not have the world-class potential that Rogers has nurtured for club and country over the past several years.