Arsenal 'hold all the cards' in race to sign Player of the Season

26 Jun 2026 12:56 BST | 4 min read

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

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Arsenal "hold all the cards" in the race to sign Christos Tzolis due to their long-standing admiration of the Club Brugge winger.

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The Greece international recently emerged as a concrete summer target for the Gunners, who are looking to revamp the left side of their attack with one and potentially even two signings.

Aston Villa superstar Morgan Rogers is Arsenal's top target, though whether a deal is possible remains to be seen after the Birmingham club reportedly informed all of his suitors that he is not for sale this summer.

Current ETV

Christos Tzolis

F, M (L)

Brugge

Christos Tzolis

F, M (L)

Brugge

ETV Range

€29.5M - €36M

Arsenal are pursuing Tzolis irrespective of what happens in the Rogers saga because the 24-year-old is not actually viewed as their marquee winger signing. The Greek would be brought in to provide quality depth behind Rogers or whoever ends up joining.

It has been reported that a fee in the region of €40 million could be enough to get Club Brugge to sell. They only spent €6.5m on Tzolis and are now poised to make him their new record sale, meaning that a fee of over €38m is required.

Arsenal favourites to sign Tzolis

Tzolis was named the Jupiler Pro League's Player of the Season after bagging 22 goals and producing 29 assists in 52 appearances for Brugge. All told, he has notched 43 goals and 45 assists in 108 matches.

The links with Arsenal have gone somewhat quiet in recent days, but fans of the club need not worry, according to Greek journalist Dimitris Manakos. Speaking to Voetbalprimeur, he revealed that the Gunners remain the clear favourites to sign Tzolis.

"My information is that Club Brugge are willing to listen to offers if the right opportunity presents itself. Club Brugge are aiming for a record sum, and with several top clubs following him, the market seems ready for that," Manakos said.

"I think Arsenal stand a better chance than many people in Belgium currently realise. This isn’t just a club that comes to take a look every now and then," he added. "Arsenal have been following Tzolis for a long time and have enormous appreciation for what he has shown over the past twelve months.

"Club Brugge know that this summer could be the right moment for a top transfer, and for Tzolis himself, the chance to sign with one of the biggest clubs in Europe would obviously be particularly attractive.

"Important steps still need to be taken, but if Arsenal really push through, I believe they hold all the cards to finalise this transfer."

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