Christos Tzolis left Arsenal's friendly with a goal and two strong endorsements. Kai Havertz said he was “a top player”, while Mikel Arteta said fans were going to love him. The evening was not smooth for everyone, though, because Arsenal had to apologise after streaming problems affected supporters trying to watch the match.

The debut and the reaction

Tzolis scored Arsenal's second goal in the 30th minute after Kai Havertz opened the scoring in the 16th. That was the clearest on-pitch takeaway from the Girona friendly, even before Arteta started talking up the new arrival’s direct running, link-up play and work ethic.

Havertz was just as upbeat. “Amazing. I think you saw his quality from the first minute,” he said, adding that he had already seen that quality “a couple of years ago” when he watched him play in Germany. He also called Tzolis “a top guy and a top player”, which is pretty strong praise for a debut night.

Arteta’s assessment was even more detailed. He said he was “very pleased with him”, pointed to how quickly he has adapted to the club and the team, and compared him with Leo Trossard for the spaces he can occupy. He also called him “a boy that comes with so much hunger”.

The numbers fit the tone. Tzolis had an 8.2 rating against Club Brugge KV in his most recent five-match sample, and he scored once across those five games. This was not a random one-off finish; it looked like a player arriving in form.

Arsenal's streaming problems overshadowed part of the night

The other story was off the pitch. Arsenal supporters were forced to switch plans mid-match after the club apologised for issues on Arsenal.com and The Arsenal App. The match was then streamed for free on YouTube.

That kind of disruption is avoidable, and it will irritate supporters more than a routine pre-season hiccup should. Arsenal did at least get the football side right, with Tzolis and Havertz both scoring and Arteta sounding encouraged by what he saw.

Arsenal's pre-season still has more to come, with Real Betis next, then Borussia Dortmund in the Emirates Cup, Como and the Community Shield against Manchester City. Arteta also made clear the standards are rising, saying the club has “more responsibility and more ambition than before”.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →