Wenger offers Giroud backing

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes Olivier Giroud's first Premier League strike against West Ham will boost the striker's confidence.

Giroud scored an impressive 21 goals in all competitions last season and played a major role in Montpellier's title success in France's Ligue 1 last season, prompting Wenger to splash out £13million on the France international in the summer. The 26-year-old initially struggled to make an impact at the Emirates Stadium and had managed just one goal, in the 6-1 Capital One Cup victory over Coventry, prior to Saturday's 3-1 win at West Ham. Giroud scored his first Premier League goal to draw the Gunners level at 1-1 in the closing stages of the first-half at Upton Park and Wenger believes the forward will draw confidence from his strike and continue to improve. "In similar situations he nearly scored like that against Olympiacos on Wednesday night," Wenger said. "He was good today. He had the physical presence and scored the goal. "That will help him a lot I think to adapt very quickly."