He was a Norwich City flop, but now he’s being tipped to light up the Champions League

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Norwich City will be wondering where they went wrong, as one of their previous flops is now being tipped for big things on the Champions League stage.

While Liam Manning’s squad contains some of the Championship’s best players like Josh Sargent, they have missed the boat on others.

Not everyone is going to recognise their potential at Carrow Road, as one star is showing us.

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Christos Tzolis named as Champions League ‘unsung talent’

All of Norwich will be kicking themselves for having let Christos Tzolis go.

Tipped to be a future star of Greek football, Tzolis was never given a chance to shine by Daniel Farke.

He then excelled on loan at Fortuna Dusseldorf before being picked up by Club Brugge for just over £5m, where he has really come to life.

Tzolis was linked with Crystal Palace all summer and is being regarded by The Athletic as a player to watch in the Champions League.

Writer Oliver Kay said: “I had heard a lot of good things about Christos Tzolis, the Greek winger at Club Brugge and, sure enough, he excelled as they ran riot against Rangers in the play-off round.

“For any Norwich City fans reading: yes, that is the same Christos Tzolis who came and went at Carrow Road a few years ago and barely made a ripple.”

Christos Tzolis said Norwich City spell was ‘most difficult year’ of career

There were high hopes for the Greek winger when he was signed for £10m.

It has taken him time to really blossom into the player he is now, but that Norwich spell was one that brought about difficult times.

Managerial replacements meant that he never got settled and in an interview with Nieuwsblad.bl in 2024, he said: “I just wanted to play, get minutes and enjoy the game. That didn’t happen at Norwich in the end. After seven games, Daniel Farke, the coach who wanted me, was sacked.

“Dean Smith came in and had a completely different structure in mind. A choice I had to respect, but it was the most difficult year of my career.

I was very disappointed. That was the low point. My agent and family had to talk me into it. But life off the pitch wasn’t easy either.

“A 19-year-old who went to live alone for the first time in a city where there wasn’t much to do – it wasn’t fun. Going for a coffee? Everything closed at seven o’clock in the evening.”