Arsenal's pursit of a game-changing forward ultimately ended in disaster. The Gunners may well be keeping their powder dry for January but this was not the transfer window of Premier League champions.

To be honest, Andrea Berta has failed Mikel Arteta. The sporting director did an admirable joy a year ago but 2026 has been a messy affair.

He did get the Bruno Guimaraes deal over the line but annoyed Newcastle significantly with his tactics. The deal was essentially brokered by intermediaries before the Toon had even been contacted.

That, however, proved to be the only marquee addition of an underwhelming window. Christos Tzolis was never joined by another forward as Arsenal searched for replacements for Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli.

Why Tzolis is the perfect Trossard replacement for Arsenal

Away at Aston Villa last Monday, Arsenal's £34m signing from Club Brugge delivered a pretty hapless display. If this is a sign of things to come in Premier League away games, supporters should worry.

However, for now, fans should not panic. In his first few months at the club, Tzolis has proven that he deserves more time before he is totally written off.

That Villa game did not go well at all. He was subbed at half-time after picking up a clumsy booking. He didn't have a shot, nor did he provide a key pass. Matty Cash had him in his back pocket.

This was the Greek's worst performance since arriving. Against Coventry, albeit a newly promoted team, he was electric. No player on the field had more shots (4) or had more touches in the opposition's box (8). He even had a crucial role to play in Bukayo Saka's first goal of the season.

He was also a menace against Manchester City. He was so efficient with his actions. Nothing is overcomplicated when it comes to the 24-year-old. He registered two assists in that 3-0 win.

Tzolis was arguably the club's best player in pre-season. He picked up assists against Betis and Dortmund while he also scored on his non-competitive debut against Girona.

After that game, Arteta said: "He's a very direct player. He's got the ball between the eyes. I think really good at linking up. He has a lot of similarities with Leo [Trossard] in a lot of the things that he can do and the spaces he can occupy."

Indeed, like Trossard, he's a diminutive character, but he's smart with his play in the final third. He's got brilliant control of possession and he's a joy to watch in tightly packed situations.

Given Arsenal's lack of investment up top this summer, he will likely remain Arteta's number one choice on the left flank. That may not remain the case in the years to come though.

Arsenal may have signed another new Trossard

The Gunners may not have recruited well at first-team level this summer but behind the scenes, plenty of impressive work was carried out to improve their youth ranks.

Indeed, perhaps the most impressive capture of all was Andria Barthisvhili, a 17-year-old Georgian wonderkid who's already earned comparisons to fellow countryman Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

He's not the only one who agreed to sign for Arsenal. In the final days of the transfer window, deals were tied up for 18-year-old Igor Tyjon from Blackburn, 19-year-old James Scanlon from Manchester United and 20-year-old Habeeb Ogunneye, also from United.

For now, it's Scanlon we want to focus our attention on. This was an interesting move. After all, he was highly-rated at Old Trafford and boasts as many as 24 caps for Gibralter, scoring five goals.

While the teenager did not earn a first-team debut for United, he did appear on as many as 51 occasions for their U21s. He has been a regular fixture in Premier League 2 in recent years.

A right-footed left winger by trade, there are clear similarities with Trossard's game and his first goal for Arsenal, scored against Brighton U21s on Monday, provided evidence for why. From the left, he raced towards the defence, cut inside and then curled a lovely effort into the back of the net.

It was typical of Scanlon, who could be set to add plenty of goals to Arsenal's U21s. He has already proven he can be rampant at youth level, netting 14 times in 14 games in the U18 Premier League back in 2024/25.

One of his standout matches came against Blackburn Rovers U18s where the youngster netted four goals. In that match, he scored twice with his left foot and twice with his right foot. As a result, much like Trossard, he's adept off both feet.

What's more, Scanlon is also versatile like the Belgian. His favoured position is out on the left but in that aforementioned campaign he also played on the right wing and as a midfielder on two occasions.

The world might not be expected of the Gibralter international in the same way it is of Bartishvili, but Arsenal have signed a very promising young forward here, someone who could step into Trossard's shoes in the years to come.