Arsenal handed £100m striker blow as new signing limps out of camp

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Arsenal's international break has brought a double dose of unwelcome news, with summer signing Christos Tzolis sent home from Greece duty with a hamstring injury and the door seemingly closed on a January move for Bournemouth striker Eli Junior Kroupi.

Mikel Arteta's side head into the Premier League resumption against Leeds United on October 10 looking to respond to a 3-0 defeat at Brighton, which ended a run of seven successive wins in all competitions to start the 2026/27 campaign.

Tzolis sent home after refusing to come off

Tzolis picked up the problem on Thursday evening, pulling up with tightness in his right hamstring only minutes after having an opener disallowed for offside. The 24-year-old initially refused to leave the pitch, walking away from his manager to defend a corner before finally being withdrawn.

Greece boss Ivan Jovanovic explained the incident afterwards (quotes via sport24): "I'm his coach, I tell him to go out and he says, 'I'm not going out.' How do I handle it? So, this is something that I characterise as the Greek mentality and all these kids who come to play in the national team regardless of age."

He added: "I told him to get out, because I suspected that he wouldn't have done that if he hadn't felt something. We don't know how big the damage is today, but I hoped it was just a twitch, something temporary. First and foremost I wanted to protect the player."

The injury is expected to sideline the former Club Brugge winger for 15 to 20 days, though sources close to Tzolis indicate Arsenal are not prepared to attach a timeframe until he undergoes a full assessment back in London. It otherwise represented a productive camp for him, with a goal in the win over Serbia in Belgrade and an assist for the winner against Germany.

He is not the only fitness concern. Martin Odegaard has returned to action after Bernardo Silva stepped on his ankle while on Norway duty, while Kai Havertz is still working his way back after leaving Germany's camp. In total, 17 first-team players departed for international duty.

Kroupi off the table in January

On the transfer front, BBC Sport report that Bournemouth are unwilling to entertain mid-season offers for Kroupi, who is valued at around £100million.

The 20-year-old Frenchman was on Arteta's wishlist in the summer as Arsenal prioritised a forward addition, but the Cherries made clear their prized asset was not for sale. A fractured metatarsal sustained in pre-season then brought the pursuit to a complete halt.

Kroupi, whose goal against Manchester City last season handed Arsenal the title, has not featured for Bournemouth this term after undergoing surgery in July. He is not expected to return to action until November.

With moves for Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez having also fallen short, Arsenal's search for an additional forward option looks set to extend beyond the winter window.