Christos Tzolis helped Arsenal play like a dynasty in his sparkling Premier League debut

A contentious arrival

Tzolis joined Arsenal on July 23, just a few days after the FIFA World Cup final and just a few weeks before the start of the team's preseason. His arrival was widely celebrated by the Arsenal faithful, but it did come with some questions: namely, the very real human cost it required.

For much of Arsenal's title-winning campaign in 2025-26, the team's left flank was held down by attacker Leandro Trossard. The diminutive Belgian quickly became a fan favorite for his energy, grit and never-say-die spirit. When Arsenal found itself stuck inside its own head, it was Trossard who yanked it back into reality; when Arsenal couldn't find the back of the net to save its season, it was Trossard who refused to let that stand.

Trossard is 31; while he's still got plenty of competitive years left in him, he isn't a young prospect to build a team around. Arsenal saw that — and quietly transferred him to Turkish club Besiktas while its fans were busy watching the World Cup. The move was met with confusion. Some fans worried that Arsenal had sacrificed its king of reliability to take a chance on a raw prospect.

When Tzolis arrived to fill Trossard's shoes, then, he needed to prove to the Arsenal faithful that he could deliver Trossard's game-changing grit. He did it in the Community Shield, where assisted two of Arsenal's three goals over title rival Manchester City, and he did it here in the Coventry match, where his left flank hijinks decided the game mere minutes after it began.

More to come

Tzolis has proved himself capable of backfilling Trossard, but his greatest contribution to this Arsenal team might be something he hasn't been able to show yet: his ability to get striker Viktor Gyokeres involved in forward play.

Gyokeres joined Arsenal last season with plenty of hype, but he struggled to find his place within the team. He's a striker who thrives off sprinting into left-hand channels; he scored 97 goals for his previous side Sporting Lisbon by doing precisely that. When he was able to sprint into space on the left, Gyokeres looked great with Arsenal...but when he wasn't, largely because Trossard was already there, Gyokeres didn't have anywhere to go. He spent much of his season trying (and failing) to execute line-breaking runs in the center instead.

Tzolis is different. His moves in this Coventry match looked perfectly suited to Gyokeres' preferred style. Instead of staying on the left and pinging crosses into the box, Tzolis cut into the box himself, freeing up space on the left for a runner to drop in and make magic happen.

Gyokeres didn't play in this match; Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta opted for German striker Kai Havertz instead. And that's what's so fascinating about this Arsenal side. Fresh of a 3-0 hammering of a Premier League rival, the story isn't just about how great the squad is: It's about how many more levels it can achieve by combining its resources in new ways. Tzolis joined this squad to replace Trossard, but he might turn out to be the skeleton key that unlocks the rest of the squad, too.

Arsenal will continue its Premier League season on Monday, Aug. 31 against Aston Villa.