Olivier Giroud: Super Goal Poacher in Action?

As Montpellier president Louis Nicollin claimed that star striker Olivier Giroud transfer to Arsenal is complete, FPLZ analyzes the fantasy potential the French forward provides.

Shooting
Giroud is indeed a very prolific goalscorer, scoring 25 goals in 43 games for Montpellier HSC last season. Primarily left-footed, the forward has shown exceptional comfort to score with both feet. He has also shown great shooting variations, which include chips, narrow angles and also power shots.

Header
With a height of 1.92m (6 ft 3.5 in), Giroud is a towering presence for Montpellier last season. It was no surprise that the forward has the highest aerial duel success rate (at 70%) of any striker playing for a top four team in Europe. This will surely come to Arsenal's advantage as the Gunners will now have a targetman to support them upfront.

Rebound
This is one of the most astounding ability of the 25-year-old striker. Giroud has one of the best attacking reactions across Europe, and was frequently the first to react on his teammates' shots to rebound and score goals.

Assist
While Giroud is good at finishing, he is not a selfish striker. The fact that he delivered 11 assists last season suggests that he can team up with his new teammates readily. Nonetheless, the forward should really improve on his passing, which has only 67% of completion last term.

Verdict
Wenger has indeed got himself a good striker then. It remains to be seen whether he is bought as a direct replacement for Robin Van Persie or not, but nonetheless I believe he will play a prominent role upfront. Fantasy managers can expect a 15-20 goal season if he features as a season-long starter, and that will largely depend on Van Persie's future.