Arsenal Transfer News: Olivier Giroud Is a Shrewd Signing for Gunners

Arsenal has pulled off a minor coup with the apparent signing of Olivier Giroud. Giroud is coming off a season with Montpellier where his 21 goals in 36 appearances saw him finish as the joint-top scorer for Ligue 1. 

This switch has been rumored about for some time, and it appears to now be a done deal. 

Goal.com hits us with this news: 

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Meanwhile, Nicollin's son, Laurent, who is the club's deputy chairman, all but admitted that Giroud's transfer to Arsenal was effectively a done deal.

"The negotiations have gone very well," he revealed. "We have been in agreement for some days now." 

...Arsenal has met the striker's release clause, which is believed to be 15 million euros, and the 25-year-old has agreed a deal with the Gunners which will triple his current wage.

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Meanwhile, Giroud is on record as saying, "I'm so proud to be a Gunner." And the Gunners should be proud to have him. 

This is the Gunners' second summer signing, as they already locked up Lukas Podolski from Cologne. 

Giroud, 25, is a competent, no-nonsense goal scorer. It would be foolish to expect him to replicate his Ligue 1 success with Arsenal, but he is certainly going to be a valuable piece to the Gunners' puzzle.

Look for Giroud to instantly unseat forward Marouane Chamakh as the second option at center. Giroud is a true team player and will fit seamlessly into the Gunners squad, while giving them some much-needed scoring punch. 

With Giroud and Podolski in tow, the Gunners could turn their attention to unloading some players that are not fitting in as well, like striker Nicklas Bendtner, Marouane Chamakh, Carlos Vela or Denilson.