Tzolis reveals Mosquera was first teammate to help him settle at Arsenal
Christos Tzolis has returned from a hamstring injury in style, starting in Arsenal's win over Liverpool last week before Arteta praised the energy he showed to earn his recall. Now the Greek international has opened up on life in London, his recovery, and the teammate who helped him settle fastest.
Tzolis was missing for several weeks after picking up a hamstring injury during an international break with Greece. He has since returned to full fitness and is in contention to start again on Saturday against Hull City.
The Friday Injury Tracker
Who's out, who's back and what it means for the next two games.
“Yeah, I'm feeling good,” Tzolis said, speaking to the media ahead of the home clash with the Tigers, as quoted by football.london. “Before, I was one month away from the team; I was injured, but now I'm feeling good again. I had a good rehab, and I feel fit and strong again to help my team.”
His timing could hardly be better. Eberechi Eze has been struggling with an ankle injury over the past week, opening the door for Tzolis to continue featuring in attack.
“I just wanted to give everything for the team, every training to give 100%,” Tzolis explained. “I always try to give everything to win, and the coach is the one who makes the decisions. I was happy that I had the chance to play and I will always perform.”
Mosquera named as key influence
Tzolis joined Arsenal from Club Brugge for around £34million in the summer, arriving as something of a surprise addition tasked with filling the gap left by Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli's departures. He is yet to score in a competitive match for the club despite catching the eye during pre-season.
Asked about which teammates had helped him adapt, Tzolis singled out one name in particular. “There are a lot of guys that really try to speak, to help me from the beginning,” he said. “I think [Cristhian] Mosquera was the first one. We started to talk, it was in the pre-season. He's close to my age as well, so I can say Mosquera.”
Settling into life in London
The move from the quiet surroundings of Bruges to a sprawling capital city was a significant adjustment, but Tzolis says the transition has been smoothed by both his new teammates and London's Greek community.
“It's an amazing city, a very big city,” Tzolis said. “You have so many things to do. Everything's easier for me with my teammates. It really helped me to be part of the team very fast. Also we spend some time outside of football when we have the time because our schedule is very difficult and very tight with many games. So it's not the easiest to find timings outside of football. But I'm enjoying it. There's a big Greek community as well, so I find some Greek people as well. And so far so good, I can say.”
With his fitness restored and Eze's availability in doubt, Tzolis looks set to continue getting opportunities in Arsenal's attack in the coming weeks.
