Christos Tzolis: Arsenal's Key to Targeting Victor Osimhen
Christos Tzolis cost £34million. Already, he looks like the transfer that might reshape Arsenal’s entire recruitment plan.
The 24-year-old has hit the ground running in north London. Five games, four assists, and one of them coming on the Champions League stage against Napoli. He has given Mikel Arteta exactly what he wanted on the left flank – and possibly something even more valuable: freedom to chase a truly elite No. 9.
When Arsenal brought Tzolis in over the summer, the fee looked smart. Now it looks inspired. The Greece international has slotted into Arteta’s system with authority, stretching defences, attacking full-backs, and supplying the final ball with a calmness that belies his age.
Sporting director Andrea Berta predicted this. He talked about Tzolis bringing a “strong mentality” and “raising the technical level” of the team. Those lines read less like flattery now and more like a neat summary of what Arsenal fans are watching every week. Arteta has echoed that sentiment, calling him “very, very smart” and praising his ability to “make good decisions when a lot of people tend to rush.”
That intelligence on the wing changes things. It eases the need to spend huge on another left-sided forward and opens the door to invest heavily through the middle instead.
From Vini Jr to Victor Osimhen
Last summer, Arsenal aimed high. A £140m budget was lined up for a move for Vinicius Jr, only for the Brazilian to commit his future to Real Madrid. That kind of money does not just vanish. It waits for the right opportunity.
Now the conversation is shifting towards Victor Osimhen.
According to The Telegraph, Arsenal raised Osimhen’s name while in talks with Galatasaray over other potential business. The Turkish club had eyes on Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri, and those discussions allowed Arsenal to quietly test the waters around their prolific striker.
Nothing moved at the time. Osimhen stayed put, Martinelli departed for Al-Hilal, and Nwaneri headed to Borussia Dortmund on loan. But the interest did not die with the window. It simply rolled forward.
With Tzolis delivering on the left, that same £140m bracket could realistically be diverted towards a marquee centre-forward. Osimhen sits at the top of that list.
The No. 9 question Arteta still needs to answer
Arsenal are not short of strikers on paper. Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres are both in the squad this season, offering different profiles and options.
Havertz has started to justify his role in front of goal, scoring three times in his first five appearances. He links play, presses aggressively, and finds pockets between the lines. It works. But he is not a classic penalty-box predator.
Gyokeres, meanwhile, has yet to catch fire. Just 100 minutes, no goals, and little rhythm so far. There is time, but Arsenal are operating at a level where patience has limits, especially if a title race with Manchester City is in full swing by January.
Arteta wants a striker who lives off chances, punishes half-openings, and terrifies centre-backs. A ruthless No. 9. Osimhen fits that description as well as anyone on the market.
His record for Galatasaray underlines it: 65 goals and 18 assists in 78 appearances. Those are numbers that do not need embellishing. He scores in the league, he scores in Europe, and he does it with a composure and presence that would instantly change the dynamic at the Emirates Stadium.
A statement waiting to be made
Signing Osimhen in January would not just be a tactical upgrade. It would be a declaration.
Financially, it would be a major outlay, the kind of deal that shapes a club’s trajectory for years. But Arsenal have already shown a willingness to operate in that bracket with their pursuit of Vinicius Jr. The structure is there. The ambition is clear.
What has changed is the supporting cast. Tzolis has stepped in and, with his early form, reduced the urgency to chase another superstar winger. He has given Arteta a reliable, inventive supply line from the left, exactly the kind of wide threat a striker like Osimhen thrives on.
Picture it: Tzolis driving at his full-back, cutting inside, and hanging an inch-perfect cross into the six-yard box. Osimhen attacking it, as he so often does, with timing and aggression that defences struggle to live with.
For Arsenal, that is not just a fantasy. It is a blueprint. And if they are still trading blows with Manchester City when the next window opens, the temptation to turn that vision into reality will be immense.
