Arsenal might just have given themselves £35million boost in Mikel Arteta masterstroke

Arsenal have pulled off several pieces of transfer market magic this summer, with one new arrival potentially set to prove he could have moved for a lot more

Arsenal recruit Christos Tzolis has been tipped to save the Gunners up to £35million in the transfer market. Mikel Arteta's side raided Belgium's top flight to secure its standout performer from the past two campaigns, who could have commanded significantly more.

After three prolific seasons climbing the ranks on the continent, former Norwich experiment Tzolis is now back on English shores. And he's ready to prove his forgettable spell at Carrow Road is not where his Premier League story ends.

And Belgian football expert Scott Coyne believes the £34.1million man might have cost double that amount had he been plying his trade in one of Europe's more prestigious locations. As it stands, however, Arteta and his recruitment team are optimistic they've secured a bargain as Leandro Trossard's successor.

Tzolis, 24, enjoyed a remarkably productive two-year stint in Bruges, where he registered 43 goals and 45 assists across 108 outings. And The Belgian Football Podcast's Coyne has backed the forward to prove a snip at just £34m.

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"I think Arsenal have got a good deal here. It's the biggest outgoing transfer in Belgian football history, just pipping a couple of others that are just under that, just taking over from Charles de Ketelaere's move when he went to AC Milan," he told The Mirror.

"They could easily have paid more. I think the thing with Belgian football is the top clubs, even the top clubs, get mugged a little bit because of their place in the food chain. If Tzolis had been producing these numbers in Germany or France or something, then Arsenal would probably be paying upwards of £60m or £70m for him."

A player boasting 51 goal contributions (22 goals and 29 assists) across just 52 games last season naturally caught attention from Europe's big guns. It also speaks volumes about the strides Tzolis has made to his overall game since an underwhelming three-year spell on the books at Norwich.

It's fair to say the winger has developed enormously since that period. Much like Viktor Gyokeres is no longer the same player who struggled to break through at Brighton before eventually joining Arsenal, Tzolis is a significantly evolved proposition compared to his time with the Canaries.

"So it's not a bad deal," added Coyne, who also runs a football consultancy company. "But I think it's just one of these things that people haven't remarked on with this deal, that the club could have gotten more. They won't be unhappy with that.

"They regularly do deals for pretty much around the, yes, certainly over the £30m mark, which is extraordinary to do that on a regular basis for a club of that size. So, yes, I think Arsenal are getting him cheaply."

The £34.1million fee appears to represent excellent value in a market where nine-figure transfers have become increasingly frequent. Arsenal also managed to extract up to £17million from Trossard's switch to Besiktas, meaning half of Tzolis' cost is effectively covered.

He's set to challenge Gabriel Martinelli for that left-sided berth in Arteta's forward line-up. However, the player's adaptability and ability to operate off either flank makes him a flexible asset offering possibilities in multiple roles.

Recruiting from leagues such as Belgium, which sits just beyond Europe's established 'top five', invariably carries some degree of uncertainty. It's virtually impossible to determine whether players will reproduce the same form amongst the genuine elite, though Coyne remains confident in the case of Tzolis.

"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," added Coyne. "That level of consistency is what's got him a big move back to the Premier League."