How £35m Arsenal signing can replicate Salah as Gunners near agreement

Farewell, Leandro Trossard. You’ve been clutch for the Arsenal.

When Trossard joined the Emirates project for £27m in January 2023 for a £27m fee, it felt like a somewhat pragmatic move, Arsenal falling back on a lesser option after Chelsea hijacked their big-money move for Mykhaylo Mudryk.

He is “one of the league’s most clever players”, according to Arsenal podcast host Adam Keys, a real “mentality monster” whose innate ability to score goals is supported by intelligent movement and a sheer will to beat opponents and make things happen.

Trossard, alas, will leave this summer, with Turkish club Besiktas closing in on a £17m deal to sign the 31-year-old.

He needs replacing. Pronto.

Why it’s time for Trossard to leave

The dog days are over, and Arsenal could now claim to be the best-run club in the Premier League. One of the markers of that is the ability to let players go.

Let’s contextualise it: In April 2025, Liverpool extended Mohamed Salah‘s contract by an additional two years. The Egyptian attacker, who would turn 35 by the time that deal expired, raised his wages to £400k per week, as has been reported by numerous sources.

Salah, basically, won Arne Slot’s side the Premier League, remarkably clinical throughout the campaign. However, hindsight tells you that it was the wrong move for the Reds to have made. Salah’s form fell off a proverbial cliff last season, and he has now quit a year ahead of schedule, likely to move to either the Saudi Pro League or the MLS.

Trossard is not a superstar like Salah, but he has been an integral part of Arteta’s frontline all the same, and watching him leave is rueful indeed for the Gooner persuasion.

But Arsenal know that it’s time to ring a few changes, sprucing up a title-winning squad. Morgan Rogers is on Arteta and Arsenal director Andrea Berta’s agenda – a deal is close to being agreed – but it may be wise to sign a more recognised left winger alongside that powerful attacking midfielder.

Arsenal close to agreeing fee for their own Mo Salah

It’s time for Trossard to leave, but Arteta cannot afford to make a mistake in replacing the Belgium international, who is currently out at the World Cup and proving that he still has a lot to offer. In other words, Arsenal need to sign a star on the left wing.

Though priority is currently being placed on signing Rogers and Bruno Guimaraes, the Newcastle captain the subject of a series of rejected bids, it’s important that an attacker is signed.

But Arsenal are persistent, and they have the wind in their sails. There is an expectation that Arsenal will sign Guimaraes this summer, and the ambitious bids won’t stop there.

According to journalist Kostas Lianos, Arsenal are ready to finalise a £35m deal to sign Christos Tzolis this summer, with the Club Brugge star awaiting the final go-ahead before jetting over to London to put pen to paper.

It looks like this one will be wrapped up, barring something dramatic and unforeseen. If that is the case, Arsenal could find themselves landing their own version of Salah, a prolific and devastating winger who could make a real impact on their second effort in England.

Tzolis once played for Norwich City, scoring three times across 30 appearances for the Canaries. He featured 14 times in the Premier League, failing to impress.

But Tzolis has since come on leaps and bounds, and he has the potency in attack to lift a Gunners frontline that undeniably left a lot to be desired last year, even as they won the title.

Tzolis, indeed, scored 22 goals and supplied 29 assists across 52 matches for Brugge last season. Yes, you read that right. Moreover, his success was not limited to the domestic scene, and he made a real impact out in Europe, registering three goal involvements for his struggling side. He has been an “incredible signing” for the Belgian giants, according to talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Fleet-footed and capable of snappy, shifty movements to weave into space and danger, Tzolis is not one to be messed with, and not only would be prove an upgrade on the ageing Trossard, but he would bring something Salah-esque to an Arsenal attack who failed to score enough goals in 2025/26.

We know a few things: Tzolis failed to make the grade when last in English football. He shares something with Salah in that. The Greek forward also loves goals and assists, fostering a deadly edge over the past few years, another similarity.

He might just surprise a few, should he sign for Arsenal this summer. A super-team was never created by signing 11 separate superstars. Arsenal can make their own with this one, and it looks like it’s on the verge of being competed.