Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City want €40m striker – but is he really that good?

Analysis

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Nicolo Tresoldi’s prolific form has seen the Club Brugge striker emerge as one of Europe’s deadliest young forwards and become a must-watch player for some of the biggest clubs in the game.

Several Premier League teams have sent scouts to Belgium to watch the 22-year-old, with Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle all keeping close tabs on the prolific frontman, according to TeamTalk.

Having netted 11 times in 12 matches in the Jupiler League and Champions League combined, Tresoldi’s eye for goal is causing quite a stir and has prompted Club Brugge to put a €40 million price tag on the forward.

Is this the type of form that could see him ultimately make an Erling Haaland-type impact in the Premier League, or if he were to complete a move to England, would he be in danger of becoming the next Darwin Nunez or Viktor Gyokeres?

Tresoldi’s goals come with one big question mark

Tresoldi would still represent a significant gamble for any club that signs him, according to SciSports. The data analytics firm reports that his level has increased rapidly over 2026 but it still harbours doubts over his ability to become a starting player for an elite Premier League side like Arsenal or Man City.

Even at a slightly lower level with Chelsea, Spurs or Newcastle, he is someone who would have to work to become a regular and would not be expected to make an immediate impact in the first team.

This is not simply speculation. The calculation is derived from hundreds of in-game data points that are used to produce a SciSkill rating, which in turn can be compared to players across positions and clubs.

Tzolis proves the Premier League will be a different test

Tresoldi’s raw numbers for Brugge have been impressive, but translating them at a higher level promises to be a challenge.

One useful real-world indicator that teams will be looking at for Tresoldi is the performances of Christos Tzolis, who left Club Brugge in the summer to join Arsenal.

The Greek, who is two years older than his former team-mate, joined the Gunners in a €40m deal in July but managed to deliver only one assist in five Premier League appearances before succumbing to a thigh injury that has denied him club action since the middle of September.

Of course, Tzolis is still too early in his Arsenal adventure to offer a definitive judgement over his performance, but the very fact that a player who finished last term with 22 goals and 29 assists for Club Brugge has been unable to make an explosive immediate impact should help to temper any expectations surrounding Tresoldi.

Three Premier League giants could be ideal – but there’s a catch

Equally, this should not put Tresoldi off aiming for a big Premier League club, and neither should it put clubs off signing him. SciSports’ Career Advice indicates that some of the Germany U21 international’s best options are in England. This tool rates clubs based on a wide variety of metrics and assigns them a score.

Arsenal (77), Man City (76) and Chelsea (75) are all recommended options for Tresoldi, with Newcastle (72) and Tottenham (70) not too far behind.

Concerns over a lack of playing time are a common theme here, though, and something that Tresoldi will have to take into consideration when the transfer interest inevitably steps up in 2027.

Other clubs such as Bayern Munich, Barcelona and even Manchester United are seen as better able to balance development and game time for the striker.

Tresoldi’s goals have opened the door – now he must walk through it

Tresoldi is entering a key period of his career. He is currently a prolific striker in Belgium, but when he takes his next step, he is likely to find goals more difficult to come by. How he negotiates the months ahead will therefore be pivotal.

The best thing that he can do is to score goals and keep clubs interested, opening the door to an increasing number of possibilities in the process.