Christos Tzolis: “At Arsenal, it’s not enough to win, you have to be hungry for every title”
Tzolis is the latest great footballer of Greek in sign with Arsenal, brought in to add quality on the left flank.
There are football clubs that build their successes on talent and there are those that base their every step on mentality. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal seem to belong to the second category. And newly acquired Greek international winger Christos Tzolis understood this from the very first days of his presence in London.
The Greek international winger, who left Club Brugge behind (he received the sum of 35 million euros) to wear the jersey of the English champions, found himself in an environment where nothing is left to chance. Every detail is treated with absolute seriousness, from the warm-up in the gym to the last recovery exercise. For him, this was perhaps the biggest surprise after his transfer.
As he explained, the intensity of training is not limited to tactical instructions or physical fitness. What impressed him most is the inexhaustible will of all the players to exceed their limits every day. Even in friendly games during the preparation, every duel is treated as if it were judging a title, proving that success is not the result of a moment, but of a daily culture.
Arsenal is preparing to defend the Premier League title, something it has not achieved since the era of the legendary Herbert Chapman in the 1930s. Nevertheless, Tzolis claims that in the locker room no one is satisfied with one success. On the contrary, everyone is treating the new season as an even greater challenge.
The 24-year-old winger sees a common philosophy that unites the entire football department. The goal is not only to maintain the top spot in the English league, but to claim every trophy available. As he stressed, the thirst for distinction is evident in every training session and it is precisely this mentality that creates the conditions for a team to remain competitive at the highest level.
Tzolis also revealed the first discussions he had with Mikel Arteta before his transfer was completed. The Spanish coach did not ask him to change the way of playing that made him stand out in Belgium. On the contrary, he urged him to remain faithful to the characteristics that brought him to Arsenal, maintaining his personality, intensity and competitive identity.
The Greek international recalled that he was in Thessaloniki when he was informed by his representative about the interest of the
“Gunners”. Although several other clubs tried to enter his claim, the contacts with Arteta were enough to convince him that the “Emirates” was the ideal destination for the next step of his career. As for his relationship with the Arsenal world, Tzolis believes that the only way to earn his appreciation is through the field. With passion, dedication and absolute commitment to every duel, he believes that the trust of the fans is won through actions and not words. For him, playing to the fullest of his abilities is the best promise to the world of his new team.
Manos Staramopoulos
Journalist and Analyst of International Football and Affairs
Chief Editor English Zone of Discoveryfootball.com
Arthens (Greece).
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