LONDON, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Arsenal has signed center back Laurent Koscielny from French club Lorient on Wednesday.

"Koscielny is a central defender with great ability who performed extremely well last season for Lorient," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. "We identified him as a very strong center half, who has made big progress very quickly. He has shown he is mentally strong, he's a fighter and a very strong competitor."

Financial details weren't disclosed, but reports said the deal was worth 10 million pounds (15 million U.S. dollars).

"I'm really looking forward to playing in the English Premier League and the Champions League with my new club," the 24-year-old Koscielny said.