LONDON — Arsenal eased past Coventry City on Friday, as they opened up their Premier League title defense with a routine 3-0 win in north London as a new signing Christos Tzolis dazzled.
The Greek winger, 24, was superb on the left as he had more touches in the box and more shots than any other player on the pitch as he created so many chances.
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He set the tone early in the first half as he skipped inside and curled a shot just over before being involved in Arsenal’s opening two goals.
Tzolis and Saka provide perfect balance
The second came after his dangerous, teasing cross was pushed out and finished by Bukayo Saka. We are going to see that a lot this season between those two.
With Saka able to cut inside and beat his man to the byline with his pace and trickery on the right, Arsenal now have exactly the same on the left with Tzolis.
That gives their attack tremendous balance and Tzolis is an extremely similar player to Saka.
He arrived from Club Brugge this summer for $46.4 million to replace Leandro Trossard as a surprising signing. Tzolis matches the trickery and calmness of the Belgian veteran but is speedy and direct and gives Arsenal’s brilliant attack extra balance.
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With Kai Havertz drifting around and creating gaps, Tzolis kept popping up in dangerous areas and showcased his balanced game by threading through a lovely ball to Riccardo Calafiori which ended in the Greek winger seeing his powerful shot deflected wide for a corner. He had another shot saved well soon after and was a constant threat.
Greek winger gives Arsenal different dimension
Tzolis has been Arsenal’s best player in preseason, grabbing two assists against Manchester City in the Community Shield last weekend too, and underlined his clear talent with this superb display on his Arsenal debut in the Premier League.
This performance from Tzolis explains why Arsenal are likely to let Gabriel Martinelli leave in the final days of the transfer window and already sold Trossard to Besiktas.
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Arteta has his new starting left winger and Tzolis has not only hit the ground running at Arsenal, he can also give them an x-factor and provides more depth and balance to their attack.
It’s early days, but Tzolis has the potential to be one of the signings of the season and he gives Arsenal an extra dimension in their attack.
Long winding road has led to this chance
His character also seems to be exactly what Arteta loves. He’s hungry, grateful for the chance to play at a top club and won’t kick off when he’s rotated in and out of the team at some point this season.
After up and down spells at Norwich City, FC Twente and Fortuna Dusseldorf early in his career, he found his feet at Club Brugge and dazzled in the Champions League last season. Now he has the chance he’s been craving and is ready to deliver.
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After missing out on signing Vinicius Junior this summer, it looked like left wing would continue to be a problem for Arsenal as most of their attacking play has come down their right side in recent years. That looks set to change.
When Tzolis was replaced with 15 minutes to go on his home debut, and as he got a big pat on the back from Arteta, a huge roar went up from the Arsenal fans as he got a standing ovation.
They love him already and recognize how key he could be this season.
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