Mikel Arteta has already fixed Arsenal's main problem from the Champions League final
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will try to retain the Premier League title and go one better in the Champions League.(Image: PA Wire)
Former Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna believes Mikel Arteta has already fixed the Gunners' main issue from the Champions League final defeat to PSG with the signing of Christos Tzolis.
The ex-France international felt Arsenal were unable to retain the ball high up the pitch during that defeat, losing the game on penalties despite opening the scoring after just six minutes through Kai Havertz.
Ousmane Dembele equalised just after the hour mark for the Ligue 1 outfit, going on to score four of their five spot kicks, as Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes missed theirs.
It meant PSG retained their European crown, with Arsenal heading back to the drawing board to bolster their squad in the summer transfer window.
Bruno Guimaraes, Piero Hincapie, Ezri Konsa, Illan Meslier, and Tzolis all arrived on permanent transfers with the Arsenal board looking to go one better.
And it's the latter of those summer signings that Sagna believes will prove to be the answer to Arsenal's main problem in the final.
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"I think his maturity when he has the ball," Sagna told The Action Network. "He seems to be always making the right choices, respecting football.
"He doesn't rush, delivers a good ball. He's a mix of playing it short and using the space. He's very wise in the way he has managed to understand the game.
"His game IQ is very high and his crosses, they managed to connect with Arsenal players. He managed to cut inside and play the ball to the right person, at the right spot, at the right time.
Christos Tzolis was superb against Coventry(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
"He doesn't lose the ball, which for me is key. You have to have players who are able to keep the ball, when you're high up the pitch.
"That was also, when I think about the Champions League final, the problem that Arsenal faced, when the ball reached high, they were not able to keep the ball and create enough.
"So he seems to be a player who understands this and he's creative enough at the same time."
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