Arsene Wenger hails 'rare' Olivier Giroud

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has paid tribute to his newest signing Olivier Giroud.

The French striker joined from Ligue 1 champions Montpellier at the end of last month for a fee believed to be in the region of £12m.

Wenger has spoken of his admiration for the 25-year-old in his Eurosport column, and feels that Giroud is a rare type of goalscorer.

"I have known Olivier Giroud for some time," Wenger wrote. "The first time I saw him, I found he had something intelligent and dangerous. I always said he could score goals and assist his partners.

"Our game is based on cooperation between the players in the offensive phase and he will integrate easily. I don't like simple goalscorers, they must also add to the collective.

"He is good in the air which is rare. He is quite complete and has a great room for improvement."

Giroud scored 21 goals last season and finished as the league's top scorer.