Did the international break come at the right time for Arsenal? Perhaps.
After a crushing 3-0 defeat at the hands of Brighton, it has given the Gunners an opportunity to take stock and go again once domestic football returns.
They will, however, be hamstrung by a few injury problems. As is the way during the break, all of the squad never come through unscathed.
Kai Havertz looks set for a spell on the sidelines with a hamstring problem while Ezri Konsa has also returned early from the England camp with an issue.
Greek winger Christos Tzolis also looks like he could be out of action for a period.
The latest on Christos Tzolis’ injury
After scoring against Serbia in Greece’s opening game of the break, it was all going swimmingly for Tzolis. As it happens, that was his first goal of the new campaign.
Therefore, a much-needed confidence boost had been presented to the winger.
Yet, after managing 90 minutes of that clash and another 81 against Germany, he sustained a hamstring injury early in his nation’s 2-2 draw with the Netherlands.
Tzolis went down holding his hamstring and had to be withdrawn after just 18 minutes of the game.
He has already returned to Colney with early reports suggesting he could miss around three weeks, meaning he will be absent for clashes with Leeds, Lille, Nottingham Forest and Bayern Munich.
An intitial time frame has not been confirmed but expect a more concrete update from Mikel Arteta during his press conference later this week.
Why losing Tzolis is a big blow for Arsenal
If Arteta could pick one position on the place not to lose a player it would likely be on the left flank.
Indeed, after selling Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli, plus failing to sign much cover, Tzolis is the only out and out left winger Arsenal have at their disposal.
As a result, it’s a huge blow for the Gunners, particularly in light of Eberechi Eze’s poor form when deputising for the summer arrival.
Eze has started two games this season, versus Napoli and Ipswich, and has not made much of an impact in either game. He did provide the assist for Max Dowman’s opener at Portman Road but in truth, he did not do much. He simply laid the ball off for the youngster who did the rest of the work.
Tzolis, on the other hand, has had a big impact during the opening exchanges of his Arsenal career.
The 24-year-old has supplied four assists in his first eight matches for the Gunners, proving to be a real creative asset. He may not be a rampant goalscorer but his teammates will certainly miss his chance creation.
How Arteta replaces him remains to be seen but the bigger picture must also be considered here. Long-term Arsenal need greater depth in that position to ensure that injury doesn’t become a problem.
How Arsenal can upgrade on Tzolis long-term
After winning the Premier League, Andrea Berta and Co had a wonderful opportunity to go and get who they pleased. Well, they did try.
Morgan Rogers ultimately ended up going to Chelsea for a jaw-dropping £117m figure and they also pushed hard to sign Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid, only to see him sign a new contract in the Spanish capital.
So, with options and time running out, Arsenal decided that Tzolis was enough. They have already been proven wrong. In January, they will need to reassess and spend on improving their forward line.
Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi is the one fans want but there is another exciting proposition; Kenan Yildiz.
Arsenal were interested in signing the Turkiye international during the summer but nothing materialised, largely due to the finances involved and because the player actually picked up an injury at the back end of August.
However, he is back on their radar ahead of the winter with reports in Italy, via Sport Witness, suggesting that Arsenal are ‘ready to go crazy’ in their pursuit of the player. They are lining up a remarkable €100m (£85m) bid for his services.
Whether or not Juventus would be willing to accept such an offer is unknown but they will hope to generate a bidding war with Real Madrid also interested.
So, what makes Yildiz such a special talent and why would he be an upgrade on Tzolis? Well, first and foremost he’s certainly more versatile.
Described as a “frightening talent” by Turkish football expert Emre Sarigul, he’s something of a Rogers or Eze type of character positionally. Last season, the 21-year-old played 27 times off the left, scoring three goals and supplying four assists. He also featured as a number 10 / second striker on 19 occasions, bagging seven goals and registering six assists.
Like Tzolis, he’s a dual threat, a player capable of scoring and assisting at a similar rate. While the Greek is yet to score this term, his record at Club Brugge last season was remarkable. He scored 22 and assisted 29.
It’s important to note that was in the Belgian top-flight. Put Yildiz in that league instead of Serie A and it is likely he would have registered similar numbers.
|
Yildiz vs Tzolis key stats |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90 mins) |
Yildiz (25/26) |
Tzolis (26/27) |
|
Shots |
2.03 |
0.74 |
|
Shots on target |
1.27 |
0.49 |
|
Assists |
0.19 |
0.25 |
|
Chances created |
2.41 |
1.97 |
|
Take-ons completed |
2.47 |
0.25 |
|
Take-on success |
52% |
16% |
|
Fouls won |
1.78 |
1.97 |
|
Ball recoveries |
3.84 |
2.96 |
As a result, comparing Tzolis’ numbers in the Premier League with Yildiz’s numbers from last season gives us a more accurate representation.
Yildiz has only played once in the Serie A this season due to injury.
What’s surprising is that despite Tzolis’ creative prowess since signing for Arsenal, Yildiz still bettered him in a Juve shirt last term. In fact, that’s one of his finest attributes.
The young forward is one of the most creative players around right now. He combines that with electric dribbling. He completed as many as 2.47 take-ons in 2025/26.
Compare that with Tzolis and you have one of the least productive dribblers in the English top division. He has only completed 16% of his take-ons this term.
While he has been something of a livewire, he clearly needs to discover an extra level of efficiency to take his game to the next level. Yildiz already has that and would represent a clear upgrade.
