Arsenal sweat on Tzolis after hamstring scare on Greece duty
Arsenal are waiting on scan results for Christos Tzolis after the winger limped out of Greece’s 2-2 Nations League draw with the Netherlands in Thessaloniki on Thursday.
The 24-year-old lasted only 18 minutes. Moments after seeing a low finish ruled out for offside, he went down clutching the back of his leg, pulled his shirt over his face in obvious distress, and was replaced by Giorgos Masouras.
Tzolis appeared keen to play on after treatment, but Greece coach Ivan Jovanović took him off.
Jovanović said he never makes that kind of call without medical input, and explained that because the problem was muscular rather than something like an ankle knock, he wanted the player off straight away after speaking with the doctors.
Tzolis is now heading back to London for a full assessment. That means he’s set to miss Sunday’s rematch with Germany, a big loss for Greece, who top Group A2 on seven points.
A growing problem for Arteta
The timing is poor for Arsenal.
Tzolis joined from Club Brugge in the summer for a reported £34 million and has made a bright start, with four assists in eight appearances and a start in all five Premier League games.
His injury also comes on top of Kai Havertz’s. Havertz has already returned to London Colney with a suspected hamstring strain picked up with Germany and is a doubt for the Leeds game.
Losing both at once would leave Mikel Arteta short of attacking options when the Gunners host Leeds on October 10.
Until the scans come back, the severity is unknown. Arsenal will be hoping Greece’s quick decision was a precaution and not the start of a long absence.
A mild strain could mean a couple of weeks out, while anything more serious could keep him sidelined well beyond the next international break.
