The Arsenal summer signing earning rave reviews behind the scenes
Arsenal have been left impressed by the early impact of summer signing Christos Tzolis, with Club Brugge president Bart Verhaeghe revealing the winger has already been praised by his new club.
Tzolis joined Arsenal from Club Brugge in July in a £34m deal, signing a long-term contract at Emirates Stadium.
The 24-year-old was targeted by manager Mikel Arteta following Leandro Trossard's departure, while Gabriel Martinelli was also made available for transfer.
Tzolis has made an encouraging start to life in north London, helping the Premier League champions win their opening four matches before Wednesday's Champions League meeting with Napoli.
Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta previously said Tzolis would "raise the technical level of our squad" and bring a "strong mentality to our team".
Verhaeghe revealed Arsenal officials were equally enthusiastic when the two clubs' representatives met at last month's Champions League draw in Monaco.
"At the Champions League draw, I saw people from Arsenal and they showed a tremendous amount of respect," Verhaeghe told Het Belang van Limburg.
"‘What a player you’ve delivered’, they told me. They said he has an excellent attitude, is the best in the physical tests and is a great guy, too."
In a separate interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, Verhaeghe added: "Arsenal said ‘what a player’ when they approached me after the draw.
"Christos had come out on top in all the tests. That’s what we do here: deliver a ready-made product. Because we know what those top teams are looking for. We prepare our players for that kind of football.
"Back then, people laughed at our holistic approach to nutrition, sleep, special glasses… Today, it’s all standard practice. We were the innovators from day one, and we’ll keep innovating.
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"Today, we’re selling players to Arsenal and Inter Milan, two teams that have reached the Champions League final in the last two years.
"And at the same time, we’re recruiting directly from the Premier League, from a club like West Ham. 10 years ago, that was unthinkable."
Arsenal defender Ben White also spoke highly of Tzolis after the winger impressed during pre-season testing.
"Christos has been amazing," White said. "He came in, did all the testing, and beat everyone.
"So he is fitting in really well and everyone is really happy for him to be here."
