Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes the club is close to completing a deal for French striker Oliver Giroud . Giroud spent last season at Ligue 1 club Montpellier, helping them secure their first ever top flight title by scoring 21 goals in 36 games and contributing a further nine assists. Such form saw him handed his France debut in November 2011 against Belgium before being selected in Les Bleus’ Euro 2012 squad. Despite limited playing time in the competition, Wenger is excited by his imminent arrival at the Emirates. The Frenchman told TF1: “Giroud didn’t play much, but he’s going to be an Arsenal player 90% next season. “I think he has exceptional potential and will integrate very well in our collective and our way of playing. “He’s a real team player and knows how to combine with other players and I’m sure he will do well with us.” Wenger has also been discussing another of his summer acquisitions, Lukas Podolski. The Polish born striker is currently representing Germany at Euro 2012 and Wenger was full of praise for the striker he signed from Koln early in the transfer window. He continued: “Podolski did a great job for the German team, he has superb team work. 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.”

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Wenger: Giroud deal ’90 per cent done’