It took all the way until July 16, but Arsenal FC have finally completed their first major signing of the 2026 summer transfer window in Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis. With Leandro Trossard now gone to Besiktas, manager Mikel Arteta badly needed a new player on the wing, and they found him in Tzolis. According to multiple reports, an agreement has been reached on a 40m euros (£33.9m) deal for the 24-year-old Greek international, so all that’s pending now is a medical evaluation and the contract signing.
🚨🔴⚪️ Christos Tzolis to Arsenal, here we go! Deal signed between the two clubs for €40m fee, Club Brugge authorize Christos for medical.
New winger for Arteta as Tzolis only wanted Arsenal, saying no to other clubs. Deal done, as @dimitrismanakos reported.
👀 #AFC also… pic.twitter.com/gW4vNwruGq
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 16, 2026
So this is a done deal, making Christos Tzolis the first new player that Arsenal have purchased the contract of this summer. They have previously signed goalkeeper Illan Meslier on a free and converted the loan deal for Piero Hincapié into a permanent arrangement.
The reigning Premier League champions are not done adding players on the wings however.
The BBC report that the North London club will now step up their pursuit of England winger Morgan Rogers, now that Three Lions have been eliminated from the World Cup.
Of course, Aston Villa are not really interested in selling him, given
1. the £130 million price tag they slapped on him and
2. all the attrition happening on AVFC this summer.
Villa have yet to make a single major signing, while Youri Tielemans left for Manchester United and Amadou Onana suffered an ACL tear at the World Cup, which will force him to miss most of the upcoming season.
If Arsenal cannot land Rogers, then PSG’s Bradley Barcola would be the next top target.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.