Mikel Arteta has signed a Rottweiler – he won't give his Arsenal teammates any peace

Arsenal's summer transfer business has already snagged them a "rottweiler" of a signing as Mikel Arteta looks to add more bite to his squad ahead of their Premier League title defence

Mikel Arteta has added a "rottweiler" to his ranks with the summer signing of Christos Tzolis. And an insatiable appetite to do damage for the Arsenal cause could see the Greece international become a new fan favourite at the Emirates Stadium.

Tzolis, 24, hasn't taken long to impress his new team-mates after smashing standards in pre-season testing. And he's already followed that up by scoring on debut in Saturday's 4-1 friendly win over Girona.

It's a sign of big things to come from the winger, who has a major fan in Scott Coyne of The Belgian Football Podcast. Even prior to his dazzling debut in Catalonia, Belgian Pro League expert Coyne spoke highly of the tenacious character joining the Arsenal dressing room.

"He will nag players. There's a bit of a rottweiler in him. And I mean that in not the aggressive sense, but just in the not-letting-you-go element. He's instinctive and he's incredibly direct and he's got a good eye for goal.

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"He won't overwork things, which I think is really important from an offensive point of view as well. Doesn't overcomplicate things and keeps things simple. He's very good at finding space as well."

That much was apparent in his first-half strike against Girona this past weekend. In a scene Arsenal fans will hope to see plenty of in future, Tzolis picked the ball up near the edge of the penalty box, took a handful of touches to deceive his marker, cut inside and curl inside the far post with relative ease.

There are big boots to fill on Arsenal's left wing following the exit of Leandro Trossard, who was crucial in last term's title run. Providing that extra touch of needle in attack will be a key element in Tzolis' game as he looks to make the position his own.

Even more promising is the fact scoring isn't even the biggest strength of a player who had 51 direct goal involvements for Club Brugge last season. That's according to Coyne, who pointed to the £34million addition's conveyor belt of creation in front of goal.

"A huge chance creator," he continued. "We're talking really good metrics on key passes, line-breaking passes, chance creation as well, in particular because of the assist side of his game. He will always get you goals, but he's really created a lot for others as well over the last couple of years.

"He's a really dynamic player. And I think he's really hungry at the moment. It's quite rare nowadays for any player, in my view, to have three really strong seasons where they've actually improved each year as well. That level of consistency is what's gotten a big move back to the Premier League.

"He's really, really happy to be at Arsenal. I think he knows those performances have gotten him to where he is now and he'll be hoping he can bring most of that to Arsenal, as will Arteta."

There have been question marks relating to the step up in quality Tzolis will be making as he returns to the Premier League. He was still in his teens when he completed an ill-fated move to Norwich City in 2021 but appears to have matured in all areas since then.

The ability to press and hound opposition players is an important aspect of Arteta's system, moulded by his time under Pep Guardiola. Tzolis has acknowleged certain similarities in his game to Alexis Sanchez, who previously starred in the No. 17 jersey he's taken as his own at the Emirates.

It's often remarked that winning a title is the easy bit but establishing a dynasty and remaining king of the hill is considerably more difficult. However, Tzolis brings a certain work ethic and rabid determination to suggest he could bring a new touch of tenacity that will aid Arsenal greatly in keeping their throne.