Arsene Wenger has confirmed that Montpellier’s striker Olivier Giroud is on the verge of joining Arsenal and is confident of the impact he will have on the Premier league.
The 25 year old has been one of the key performers for the Ligue 1 side and helped them to the league title last season. He has had bit roles to do so far in the Euros but with Karim Benzema yet to break the duck, it won’t be surprising if Laurent Blanc shows faith in Giroud and hands him a start.
The striker is valued at £13m by the French club and after weeks of negotiations the deal seems to have been finally struck. Speaking to French TV channel TF1 Wenger said, “Giroud didn’t play much (at the Euros so far), but he’s going to be an Arsenal player 90 per cent next season.
“I think he has exceptional potential and will integrate very well in our collective and our way of playing.
“He is a real team player and knows how to combine with other players and I’m sure he will do well with us.”
Olivier Giroud would become the second signing for the Gunners this summer after Lukas Podolski joined them earlier from FC Cologne. The manager was all praise for the 27 year old who only recently became the youngest ever player to reach 100 caps for any footballing nation.
“Podolski did a great job for the German team, he has superb team work,” said the Arsenal boss.
“He plays in a cautious way sometimes, but he’s still scored a very important goal against Denmark for his 100th cap. I am very happy with what I’ve seen from him.”