PROFILE: The rapid rise of Canaries new boy Christos Tzolis

The winger is the latest hot prospect to emerge from Greek football and will become the 30th player from there to play in the Premier League.

Tzolis has secured his move to England for a fee just shy of £9million. Wherever the teenager has stepped foot on a pitch, hype has seemingly followed him. Whether that be links with some of Europe's top clubs like Manchester United or Borussia Dortmund or contending with the rave reviews in his home country.

After many disappointments in Greek football, the public mood has transitioned from supreme excitement to cautious optimism. After all, they have seen this all before.

Players like Sotiris Ninis were dubbed the 'Greek Messi' when they burst onto the scene and failed to live up to those high expectations. Many will be waiting to see how Tzolis acclimatises to life in a higher standard of league but his journey to date displays his potential.

Tzolis idolises athletes with a reputation for hard work over innate talent. Cristiano Ronaldo and Novak Djokovic are among those who inspire City's newest addition, those sporting heroes offer an insight into his mentality on and off the pitch.

Despite being described as a 'child prodigy' and 'wonderkid' throughout his time at PAOK, Tzolis has kept his feet on the floor, his professionalism has been praised.

His journey through the academy at PAOK is fascinating, namely because it involves several destinations, including Germany.

Tzolis joined PAOK in 2002 as an 8-year-old after a four year spell with Thessaloniki-based side Doxa Pentalofos.

It only took a few seasons of academy football because Tzolis' name was known by all levels of the club.

Speak to anybody who was aware of Tzolis at that stage of his career and they will instantly mention two anecdotes that best display his ability. As a 12-year-old, PAOK's youngsters took a trip to Spain to face Barcelona's famed La Masia academy.

Any side that travels to Catalonia will be the underdog. With such resource and prestige, Barca are expected to dominate matches and win at will.

That's why a 2-1 Tzolis-inspired victory was so impressive. Several Greek journalists have recalled the story of the winger netting a spectacular long-range strike to open the scoring for PAOK.

Christos Tzolis has become a star player for PAOK, attracting the interest of Norwich City (Image: Imago/PA Images)

"I have been working in Spain for years, and in their academies I have never seen a child with such killer instinct," Christodoulos Alexandrou, who oversaw Tzolis' original transition into PAOK's academy, told Greek radio station Metropolis 95.5.

"Scoring goals for him is easy, he has it in his DNA. He is a calm child who always had his feet on the ground."

His profile was raised further after a series of stunning performances at the prestigious at world-renowned Lennart Johansson Academy Trophy tournament in 2015. Tzolis' output was incredible as he raised eyebrows with a goal return of 11 in just five matches.

That is when Barcelona's interest is believed to become more serious, with an approach strongly considered but never forthcoming.

Tzolis' journey then headed down an altogether different path when he opted to depart PAOK in 2016, not on a big-money transfer move, but for family reasons. The economic crisis in Greece forced his family to attempt to start a new life in Germany.

He trained with Frankfurt after moving to Germany but played in the lower leagues for both SG Rosenhohe Offenbach and SV Alemannia Königstädten between 2016 and 2018.

His spell in Germany was somewhat underwhelming and slightly derailed the progress he had made at PAOK. Tzolis swiftly returned to his home country and resigned for the Eagles.

"He did not return from Germany in the best way, but PAOK took advantage of his situation and gave him the opportunity to show what he is today," Angel Zazopoulos, who coached Tzolis during his first three years at PAOK, told Gazzetta.

"He is one of the rare young players to have all the attributes he possesses. He will definitely have a good development in his football career."

His return to PAOK saw him star for their youth side which ended up as league champions. Tzolis was the key man, scoring 19 goals in 26 appearances under former Real Madrid midfielder Pablo Garcia.

That prompted Abel Ferreira, then boss of PAOK, to taker a closer look at the youngster and he was invited to train with the first-team from January 2020. Coronavirus pushed back his competitive debut, which arrived after the restart in June as he came on as a late substitute in a defeat to Olympiacos.

Tzolis introduced himself to the PAOK faithful with a goal on his first start for the club against OFI. That would be the only time he got himself on the scoresheet in the final nine games of the season, prompting many to question whether this had been too much too soon for the winger.

Those doubts were answered soon after the new season began when Tzolis shined in a one-legged Champions League qualifier in late August. Two goals and an assist helped PAOK record an impressive 3-1 victory over Besiktas.

Tzolis' playing style has been compared in Greece to Chelsea forward Timo Werner due to his pace and finishing ability - those attributes have made him too hot to handle in the Super League.

Since the beginning of 2021, Tzolis has scored a goal in every other domestic game for PAOK and saw Club Brugges bid for him in January. That was said to have turned his head somewhat, with his performances not containing the polish they did before that speculation emerged.

Tzolis has passed every test placed at his door to date. (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

Since, clubs from the Bundesliga have also been linked to Tzolis. His dream was also to move to the Premier League or the German top-flight, as he explained to fans of PAOK in a fan event

"I like the English league quite a lot," Tzolis told an online PAOK fan event in February when asked about his future. "The level is high, and I think the German league is at a very good level too. I would choose these two leagues (to play in next)."

That dream has become a reality. Stuart Webber has signed a player that has been on his radar since he was a youth recruitment scout at Liverpool.

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