Tzolis hamstring blow: Arsenal winger could miss four games

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Arsenal are facing a spell without Christos Tzolis after the Greece international limped out of his country's 2-2 Nations League draw with the Netherlands with a hamstring problem.

The 24-year-old was replaced by Giorgos Masouras in the 18th minute at the Toumba Stadium in Thessaloniki, moments after having a goal ruled out for offside. Despite indicating he wanted to continue, Tzolis was withdrawn after feeling tightness in the back of his right thigh.

According to football.london, initial tests carried out by the Greece medical staff suggest Tzolis could be sidelined for 15 to 20 days. The report adds that staff at the Sobha Realty Training Centre are reluctant to commit to a timeline until they have assessed the winger themselves.

A layoff of that length would rule the Greek out of as many as four matches, leaving Mikel Arteta less than a week to settle on a replacement on the left flank.

The options available to Arteta

Noni Madueke is one route. The England international made five appearances on the left for the Gunners last season and scored against Bayern Munich in the Champions League league phase. He was also used there before the break when Leandro Trossard picked up an injury, and he has operated on that side previously at Chelsea and PSV Eindhoven.

Eberechi Eze is arguably the most natural fit, though Arteta has tended to favour using him centrally. The former Crystal Palace man has yet to nail down a regular starting berth since arriving in north London, so a run of games on the left would represent a clear opportunity.

Then there is Max Dowman. The Hale End graduate usually features on the right or in an attacking midfield role, meaning he would need to make a significant impression in training to jump ahead of Madueke and Eze in the pecking order.

A left-sided experiment

The fourth option is the most unconventional. Viktor Gyokeres has played off the left at earlier stages of his career, with spells at St. Pauli in Bundesliga 2, Brighton in Premier League 2 and IF Brommapojkarna in the Swedish third tier, though never in top-flight football.

Deployed there, the Sweden striker would function as an outlet designed to stretch the opposition back line and attack the space in behind the right-back rather than as a conventional wide creator.

Arsenal's recruitment under Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta has been built around squad depth, and this is the kind of absence that tests it. With the domestic schedule resuming shortly, the club's medical department will get its first proper look at Tzolis once he reports back from international duty, and that assessment will determine how long Arteta has to work without him.