It’s been a busy 24 hours for Arsenal in the transfer market. While a new forward may not be forthcoming just yet, perhaps the Gunners are clearing the decks, ready for one last big arrival.
Indeed, on Sunday it was revealed by various sources that Fabio Vieira (Hamburg), Gabriel Jesus (Barcelona) and Gabriel Martinelli (Al Hilal) were all set to depart.
Replacing them could be a challenge. After chasing moves for Vinicius Junior and Morgan Rogers, as well as being tentatively linked with Liverpool-bound Bradley Barcola, the only arrival in the attacking positions has been Christos Tzolis.
Why Tzolis looks like a star in the making for Arsenal
When Arsenal confirmed the signing of Tzolis from Club Brugge to the tune of £34m, there was not much excitement.
It wasn’t that supporters were not happy with his arrival. It was just they expected more from the Premier League champions. It has been 22 years since they last won the title and this window has been rather underwhelming.
Still, if Tzolis is to be the only forward to arrive between now and Tuesday’s deadline, he has certainly done a good job of calming any anxiety.
His performances since moving to the Emirates Stadium have been first-class. He scored on his non-competitive debut, a friendly with Girona, before registering pre-season assists against Borussia Dortmund and Real Betits.
In competitive action the Greek has arguably been even better. He picked up two assists in the Community Shield against Manchester City and was a real livewire during the club’s Premier League opener with Coventry City.
Tzolis did not score or pick up an assist but he was electric. He created the opportunity from which Bukayo Saka scored from, while the 24-year-old also had the most shots of anyone on the pitch (4) and had the most touches (8) in the opposition box.
So, while Andrea Berta may have failed in his attempts to lure Rogers and Vinicius to north London, he does look to have found a real gem in Tzolis.
|
Tzolis vs Coventry City |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes played |
76 |
|
Touches |
51 |
|
Shots |
4 |
|
Shots on target |
2 |
|
Fouled |
2x |
|
Accurate passes |
30/37 (81%) |
|
Key passes |
3 |
|
Crosses |
3 |
|
Duels won |
4/6 |
Still, they cannot rely on just him off the left next season. Mikel Arteta needs another option.
How Arsenal can provide competition for Tzolis
The Greek is a mighty fine option but in the grand scheme of things, he is still incredibly untested at the top level. his 22-goal and 29-assist campaign last time out came with Brugge in Belgium.
Since his move, the Gunners have looked at plenty of options in their bid to provide him with competition. Barcola was explored and enquiries have also been made regarding Matias Fernandez-Pardo at Lille.
Another option is Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye, but that one now looks tricky too. On Sunday, news broke that Tottenham had agreed a deal with Everton to sign the Senegalese winger, with Richarlison set to head in the opposite direction.
The terms of a move are yet to be finalised, with it widely thought that Richarlison is still determining whether he wants to head back to Merseyside.
That pause has allowed Arsenal to have a look. According to Senegalese outlet Taggat, the Gunners reached out to the Toffees “overnight” to hold initial talks about the terms of a deal. It’s noted that despite reaching an agreement to join Spurs, Arteta’s side could make a late Eberechi Eze-style pitch to hijack the move.
At just £60m, this deal has the potential to be a bargain at this late stage in the window. With only six goals last season, he may not be the elite winger that every fan was craving at the start of the window but it does feel like compromises now need to be made.
With Martinelli bound for Saudi Arabia, Arsenal look short on the left-hand side but Ndiaye could solve that. It wouldn’t be particularly good news for Tzolis who was hoping to nail down a role on the left but it’s simply a necessity that a player like the Everton attack arrives between now and the deadline.
Ndiaye is no slouch either. This is a Premier League proven player, another win-now signing at the age of 26. He’s approaching his prime and he’s already made an almighty impact in the English top-flight. In that regard, he can safely one up Mr Tzolis.
He would arrive ready to make a similar impact straight from the off by joining Arsenal. In the words of Arsenal writer and content creator Harvey Diamonds, the Senegalese attacker is “one of the best left wingers in the Premier League.”
In actual fact, he’s one of the best wingers in general. Last season, only Jeremy Doku with 77 dribbles completed more than Ndiaye’s haul of 70 across the entire Premier League campaign.
A year prior, only Doku (107), Mohammed Kudus (92) and Antoine Semenyo (69) completed more dribbles than Ndiaye’s 68. So, while he may not be a rampant goal threat, he’s a true maverick, someone who could add a layer of predictability to the left-hand side that simply hasn’t been there with Martinelli and Leandro Trossard on that flank.
