Christos Tzolis says Arsenal are ready to defend their Premier League crown and claimed the “pressure” is on the champions’ rivals to stop them from sealing back-to-back titles.
New signing Tzolis scored in his first appearance for the Gunners since his move from Club Brugge in a 4-1 win at Girona on Saturday.
Despite serious interest in Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior and Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes – the latter possibly completing a switch to the Emirates Stadium this week – Tzolis remains the champions’ sole outfield signing of the summer so far.
Key defender William Saliba will miss the start of the season with a back injury while there are fitness doubts over Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka following their interrupted World Cup campaigns for England.
However, when asked if Arsenal are ready to defend their first title in 22 years, Tzolis replied: “Of course. To defend a title, you don’t have to think about it. It’s more difficult for the other teams because the pressure is there, not on the team who won the title.
“When I see training, and how hungry every player is for every training drill, that means everybody’s ready to compete at the highest level.
“And when you’re a player at Arsenal, you want to compete for every title that’s possible. So, it’s not only about the Premier League, it’s about all the competitions we are playing for. And I see a clear mindset (from the players) and that everybody is on the same page to win titles here.”
Tzolis played 14 Premier League games for Norwich during the 2021-22 campaign – including his debut against Arsenal at the Emirates – but he did not find the back of the net once.
Loan periods with FC Twente and Fortuna Dusseldorf followed before he made the move to Club Brugge in 2024 where he scored 43 times across 108 appearances to catch Arsenal’s eye.
Tzolis is set to operate from Arsenal’s left-hand side as a replacement for Leandro Trossard following his transfer to Besiktas.
“In football it’s not always about playing at the highest level,” continued the 24-year-old Greece international.
“You can have some setbacks and difficulties. And I only learned a lot of things from this period at Norwich.
“That’s why I wanted to go to Dusseldorf – to get the confidence back because I knew I have the skills and qualities to score goals.
“Even though it was not the highest level, like playing in the Premier League, it’s good to play every game and have the feeling that you can score and create and play well.
“Then I went to the next level, which is Club Brugge, and I had two amazing years there because of that, because I made the decision to go to Dusseldorf and regain my confidence.
“So in all, I have had three years in a row where I’ve been important for those two teams, and I had a big role in an attacking part, and now I feel I am more than ready to be in the Premier League.
“I’m not the same player I was in Norwich, 100%. I feel that in my body and also in my mindset. Now it’s my time to show that I’m capable of playing in the Premier League.”
