The £75million signing of Bruno Guimaraes has courted the most interest among Arsenal fans.
Yet, at this rate, Christos Tzolis could well be battling with him to become the Gunners’ signing of the summer.
The Coventry defence looked terrified of the Greek winger, struggling to contend with a directness which caused so many problems.
For a player who didn’t make the grade at Norwich four years ago and moved to north London from Club Bruges, Tzolis is already far superseding all expectations.
He amassed six goal contributions in six pre-season games. And now, with the season underway, is ready to tackle the Premier League from the evidence of Friday night.
After a series of darts forward, he then switched to harrying the opposition.
Christos Tzolis could well be Arsenal’s signing of the summer given his performances so far
Fans are already comparing him to Alexis Sanchez, who he admires… and he even has the same shirt number!
And that led to Arsenal’s first goal, his anticipation resulting in him tackling Coventry’s Milan van Ewijk, feeding Riccardo Calafiori, who assisted Kai Havertz.
He wasn’t done there. Eight minutes later, Tzolis’ cross was palmed out by goalkeeper Carl Rushworth, which Bukayo Saka tapped in.
Most promisingly, he didn’t drift out of the game as attackers often do after a bright patch. He kept at it, badly wanting to get on the scoresheet. Tzolis didn’t in the end, but the intent was there.
It’s his fearlessness at getting forward and trying to make things happen which stood out and endeared him to the crowd, who gave him a loud ovation upon being substituted off in the second half.
Comparisons to Alexis Sanchez have already been drawn among supporters. Yes, it’s early days, though the similarities are there.
The directness, the low centre of gravity, the desire to keep going even after being thwarted.
It’s a concoction which made Sanchez deadly. If Tzolis can continue in a similar vein, the left wing could be his, for Arsenal don’t have a marquee name for that flank thus far.
It also goes beyond sharing the same No17 jersey at Arsenal with Sanchez, the Greek having previously acknowledged his admiration for the player.
Many thought Bruno Guimaraes was going to be Mikel Arteta’s signing of the summer
He said: ‘Actually, I knew that he (Sanchez) was wearing the shirt of number 17,’ said Tzolis. ‘Of course, I watched a lot of football and he was a top player for Arsenal, as a left winger always.
‘He’s one of the players I looked up to when I was younger. And also, I see some similarities with him.’
But among this, it’s the decisiveness in the final third which shines brightest.
Tzolis has a habit of making the right pass or dribble when in such areas, instead of pondering too long on the ball.
It’s a markedly different approach to Gabriel Martinelli, who can often take an age to decide on what to do next.
Martinelli is his direct rival but he was left out of the squad once again, having also been omitted for Sunday’s Community Shield against Manchester City.
Eberechi Eze is an option for that area which could see a battle between the Englishman and Eze, but Tzolis is the man in possession of the shirt right now.
Going back to Martinelli, his omission had an ominous feeling about it.
Since last summer, the Gunners have been open to the Brazilian leaving if the right offer came in.
Galatasaray are currently interested, a move Martinelli is opposed to. It remains to be seen what bids are made in this final week of the transfer window for a player edging closer to the exit door.
For Tzolis, though, the opportunity is there.
And if he can continue in the same vein of Friday night against Coventry, Arsenal will have some bargain on their hands.
