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Christos Tzolis has immediately laid down the gauntlet to his new rivals after joining Premier League champions Arsenal. The Greek international scored on his debut in the 4-1 win over Girona on Saturday in what has been a dream start to life at the North London club. And the 24-year-old has wasted no time in shifting the attention to Arsenal’s rivals when it comes to the pressure of winning the title. Arsenal paid £34million to land the exciting winger who contributed 22 goals and 29 assists in a stonking campaign for Club Brugge and explains that Mikel Arteta wanted to know more about him personally, before making a decision to commit. “We had two talks during the summer,” Tzolis told football.london. “One was to get to know me, and we had a really nice conversation. We spoke more about my story. He wanted to know about my personal life and my career path from just before I became a professional. “We analysed my career in football so far. In football terms, he knows my game-style and wants me to do the same things at Arsenal. He doesn’t want (me) to do things differently than I did in Club Brugge.” FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page Tzolis scored in Spain wearing the number 17. Since the exit of Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal have struggled to find a top level left winger and remain interested in adding more quality to the role this summer with interest in Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior ongoing. But the Greek international explained that the Chilean was not the inspiration behind his choice, and while the origin is more meagre, he still hopes to emulate the lethal forward at his new club. “I knew that he was wearing the shirt of number 17,” he said. “Of course, I watched a lot of football and he was a top player for Arsenal, as a left winger always. “He’s one of the players I looked up to when I was younger. And also, I see some similarities with him. But it’s not the reason I took the number 17. “It was more that there were not so many options for the lower numbers, and there were also numbers 18 and 19 available. I had them in the past, so I didn’t want to use them again. So, I went for the number 17. It’s nice. Then also, Alexis Sanchez had number 17 - so I hope I will have the same success.” Taking the step up from the Belgian Pro League to the Premier League is one of the biggest in Europe. Tzolis detailed exactly what has changed since joining the Gunners, and how even in pre-season, the players have been surprising him with their level of intensity at this early stage. “From the pre-warming up in the gym to go to training, and the intensity and how serious everybody is,” he said. "From gym exercises to recovery sessions, everyone is demanding and trying to do as best as possible and that shows the high level standards of this team. “Even in pre-season, everyone is serious for the friendly games, for the training, for every exercise. Of course, you expect, but I didn't know that before.” Tzolis’ experience in England’s top-flight, however, does not start in 2026, because five years ago he was making his debut against Arsenal for Norwich City. Supporters found the compilation of his aggressive and direct display, plastering it all over social media, and Tzolis when questioned on the game remembered it well. “Yes, actually, I remember this game. It was a really nice moment for me,” he said. “I made my debut and it was crazy that I played in the Emirates in my first game. It was a very nice experience, and it was a tough period for both teams back then. “It was a really important game, and in the end, Arsenal won 1-0, I remember. For me personally, I liked that game. It was good, of course, high level, and I think I had some good moments as well with Norwich, but it was, of course, difficult for us to play offensive football against Arsenal away. “It's special because I played my first game in the Emirates and now I'm a player for Arsenal so it's really nice to see that.” While the job in East Anglia was just to survive, the aims in North London are entirely different. After ending the 22-year wait for the Premier League title, Mikel Arteta and his squad want more and are aiming to set even higher standards. Tzolis knows how challenging it can be to join a side defending a title, having done so in 2024 when he arrived at Club Brugge. The Belgian side, however, failed to reclaim their crown, losing out by three points to Union Saint-Gilloise. When questioned about what he learned from this experience, Tzolis was quick to explain the clear differences between the two contexts. “I think it was a bit different because back then Club Brugge sold some key players that won the title,” he said. “So it was not the same squad the next season, and they bought a few new signings, like a few other guys and me, so it was a bit like a new team to defend a title. “Here at Arsenal, it's the same squad, and so far I'm the only signing so there's no big differences than last year.” However, he was equally shrewd enough to shift the attention instead to Arsenal’s rivals, stating that the pressure is not on The Gunners to defend their new status, but instead on their rivals to come and claim it. “To defend a title, I think you don't have to think about it. It's more difficult for the other teams because the pressure is there, not on the team who won the title.”