Soccer:Arsenal have signed defender Laurent Koscielny from French side Lorient. The 24-year-old moves to north London on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee beleives to be in the region of €12million.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger had tracked Koscielny, who is eligible to play international football for France and Poland, for some time as he impressed in Ligue 1.
And Koscielny jumped at the chance to link up with his countryman for the chance to bolster a defence which conceded 41 league goals last term.
"It wasn't a difficult decision to make. It is exceptional to have a club like Arsenal wanting to sign you," Koscielny told the club's official website.
"I don't believe any French player would have refused to come and play for Arsenal. It is a very big club that plays in the Champions League and it is always near the top of the Premier League.
"Arsenal is a reference for football and we all know the quality of their game. The decision was quickly taken - I took the decision the day after hearing about their interest in me.
"I know the club have the means and the ambition to get that Premier League title and to go as far as possible in the Champions League."
Koscielny, who will wear the number six shirt, admitted the French influence at the club, as well as the chance to work under Wenger, were key factors.
"It is nice for French players to come and join a team like Arsenal where there are so many other French players," he added.
"It will help me to integrate easily in the team. Arsenal is a club where many young players get the chance to play in the Premier League and that is one of the reasons I chose Arsenal. They have a lot of young players full of quality and there are plenty of French players too.
"I have great respect for Arsene Wenger. He has proved that he is capable of doing an excellent job. He uses lots of young players and he allows them to play.
"It is going to be a great pleasure to be trained by Arsene Wenger."
Koscielny, should he choose to play for France, will also be looking to impress the country's new coach Laurent Blanc, whom he cites as a role model.
"The defender of my time was Laurent Blanc. I liked his style, he was calm and collected, he was serene. He had a great charisma on the pitch, everybody knew he was the boss," he said.
"There is no one in the new generation that I admire as much. I like certain qualities in players but so far there is no player that I really admire like Blanc."
The former Tours player is relishing the challenge of such a step up in class.
He said: "It's true that it's a great league, physical.
"I'll have to adapt and give everything in training to get to the level for the Premier League.
"It's a great honour to leave to join such a club.
"It's not a small club. They have all these star players. I'll live in London and play in the Champions League.
"Arsenal isn't a club like any other. It's a very big club in Europe.
"I'll be training with great players, some who are still at the World Cup."
Koscielny will not take anything for granted, and told Lorient's website, www.fclweb.tv: "I have a certain apprehension.
"It's the start of a new adventure. I will give my maximum to play in the team."
Wenger added: "Koscielny is a central defender with great ability who performed extremely well last season for Lorient.
"We identified him as a very strong centre-half, who has made big progress very quickly. He has shown he is mentally strong, he's a fighter and a very strong competitor. Koscielny is a great addition to our squad."