Christos Tsolis spent two years with Club Brugge, winning the clutch, team trips to the beach and winning trophies.
The 24-year-old joins us from Belgium after scoring 40 goals in his final season and leading Club Brugge to the league title.
To get an idea of what the Greece international is like both on and off the pitch, we caught up with journalist Thomas Tacke, who has covered the team for media giant HLN since 2011.
BIG PLAYER
The Belgian champion is determined each season by a Champions Play-off, during which the top six teams play each other twice to determine the champions.
This is where big players find their feet and make a name for themselves, and Tsolis enjoyed this experience during his two campaigns.
In the 25/26 season, he scored eight goals in 10 games and helped Club Brugge win the championship, which attracted the attention of Tacke.
He said: “If you look at the record in these playoffs, I think after just two seasons he is already at the top in goals and assists. He has an incredible record in these games.”
“In the most important part of the season he does amazing things. You can tell that when it matters he stands up and takes the team by the hand; that’s a great character trait, especially to join a club like Arsenal who are fighting for the biggest titles.”
“THE BEST”
With a score of 25/26, Tsolis was simply head and shoulders above the rest in the Belgian league. He created the most chances (135), completed the most dribbles (40) and made the most progressive carries (359) from quite a distance. This was enough to earn him the title of professional footballer of the year in Belgium 25/26.
Thomas has had many excellent strikers during his time at Club Brugge, but Tsolis stands out among them.
He said: “He’s just a very complete player who loves to run with the ball, running through the middle of the field.
“Since Club Brugge started winning the league again in 2016, they have a lot of great strikers who score a lot and provide a lot of assists.
“I think Christos is by far the best they’ve had. If you look at his numbers, what he’s done in two years is amazing.”
“Even if he’s not playing, he’ll always be doing something, making runs, doing defensive work. I think it’s good that he’s coming to Arsenal because the physical work he does as a striker is really amazing.”
POPULAR FIGURE
Tsolis’ contribution on the pitch is well documented, but off the pitch he has also played a big role in Club Brugge’s success.
“Off the field, his importance cannot be underestimated,” said the HLN journalist. “He really developed into someone who was a glue for both the young guys on the team and the players on the national team.
“There was a very good atmosphere in the dressing room and a lot of credit goes to him. He often takes part in the creative goal celebrations that the players put on; perhaps you’ll see that soon.”
In a bid to further strengthen team cohesion, the Greece international organized a trip to the coast with his teammates.
Thomas explains: “There is one thing that is very telling about the way he thinks and feels towards his teammates.
“On the Belgian coast we have a lot of small wooden beach huts that people rent in the summer. It’s very typical of Belgium. It’s very typical of Belgium.”
“It’s not typical for a footballer to go on loan, but Christ did it and all the guys from the team would gather at his beach house in good weather.
“This is a good example that shows how committed he is to the team.
“He will be missed here. Nobody is surprised that he is leaving because the last two years he was too big for this competition.”