Tzolis details Arteta's 45 minute chat that sealed Arsenal transfer
Christos Tzolis has revealed just how personal his recruitment to Arsenal actually was, saying a lengthy conversation with Mikel Arteta that barely touched on football won him over ahead of a host of European suitors.
The winger missed six games across all competitions after picking up a hamstring strain in the first half of Greece's 2-2 Nations League draw with Holland on October 1. He returned for Arsenal's 1-0 win at Liverpool earlier this month, and speaking to Greek outlet Novasports, he opened up on both the lay off and his whirlwind start to life in north London.
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“It's definitely not the best to have an injury, to miss a lot of games from the team,” Tzolis said. “I missed six, six games in all competitions with the team here, so it's a bit difficult to deal with, but I always saw something positive so that I would be more ready when I came back and have a good performance straight away. That was my goal. I was given the opportunity straight away in the match against Liverpool, which was also a difficult away game, very physical, with a lot of running and I think it was a good image of our team in that game.”
A quick adjustment to English football
Tzolis joined Arsenal in a £34million move from Club Brugge, having previously spent time at Norwich City and made his Premier League debut at the Emirates back in September 2021. He impressed during pre-season and has racked up four assists so far, though he is still searching for his first goal in an Arsenal shirt.
Asked how he has settled in, the 24 year old made clear the transition has felt almost seamless. “I feel like I've adapted pretty well both on and off the field and to the team,” he said. “I feel really good with my teammates and on the field. To tell you the truth, I feel like I've been here for a long time, much longer than three months. Three months is a very short time. We have games all the time, so you understand here, time flies. Yes, I'm happy, I'm very happy, I'm having fun and I'm having a great time both on and off the field.”
The conversation that convinced him
Despite interest from Atletico Madrid, Roma and Borussia Dortmund over the summer, Tzolis says it was a single meeting with Arteta that made up his mind. “He does a lot of things before the matches, some alert games, in the locker room to see the players' readiness. He always has different ideas before each game and approaches it differently,” he explained. “I mean, I haven't seen that with any other coach. In the first talk we had in the summer, he asked me about my life, about my life outside of the game as well, about football of course. And I spoke for 45 minutes, for sure, and 10 15 minutes as coach, so he was very open to hearing what I had to say.”
With his hamstring problem now behind him, Tzolis will be looking to add his first Arsenal goal to his growing list of assists as he continues to establish himself under Arteta.
