When Arsene Wenger eventually walks away from football, he will leave a remarkable legacy. He's gifted the game enthralling approach play, an "Invincibles" team, and countless beautiful goals. As an attacking coach first and foremost, he's also responsible for developing a succession of top class strikers.

Nicholas Anelka, Thierry Henry, Robin van Persie and Emmanuel Adebayor were all brought to London aged 22 or younger and went on to find great success under the Frenchman. Olivier Giroud looks like being another major hit, although he is a different kind of project for Wenger.

When Giroud joined Arsenal, he was already 25. Typically, Wenger prefers to hone talents in the early stages of their career but the French striker was a late bloomer. At 21, Henry was a star signing for Juventus in Serie A; at the same age, Giroud was turning out for Tours in the third tier of French football. He was never feted as a future force on the European stage and, even when he claimed the French championship in 2012, it was with the unfashionable Montpellier.

His is a story of steady progress. At each of his previous clubs, his goal tally has increased year on year. When Arsenal moved to sign him for around £12 million as a replacement for the departing Van Persie, eyebrows were raised on both sides of the channel. Although Giroud had shown significant promise, many wondered whether his progress would plateau as he entered his mid-20s just as players are meant to show how far they can develop.

Fortunately, the move to Arsenal has seen the positive trajectory continue. Giroud is not reliant on pace, so has been able to focus on developing the technical and mental aspects of his game. His first season at Arsenal was littered with conspicuous misses, but -- the Monaco first-leg aside -- those are becoming increasingly infrequent. Under Wenger's tutelage, he has transformed in to one of the continent's most effective centre-forwards and the fee Arsenal paid for his services now looks like a bargain.

Giroud has become increasingly prolific with each passing season, culminating in a 2014-15 campaign in which he has managed 0.94 goals every 90 minutes. While the nation's pundits have been falling over themselves in praise of young Tottenham striker Harry Kane, it has largely gone unnoticed that Giroud currently has an identical goals per game ratio. What's more, the stats suggest he is a more complete player, with a higher frequency of both chance creation and assists.

radual improvement does not make as many headlines as a sudden arrival on the scene, but Giroud can no longer be ignored in the Premier League. Only four players have scored more league goals than the Frenchman's 14 this season [Sergio Aguero, Harry Kane, Diego Costa and Charlie Austin]. Given that he missed three months with a fractured leg, that's a superb achievement.

Indeed, his recent form is nothing short of breathtaking. The late goal in the 4-1 win against Liverpool means he has now scored 10 in his last 10 appearances across all competitions. If he finds the net against Burnley next week, Giroud will equal an Arsenal record of scoring in seven consecutive Premier League games.

But it's not just his goals that make him so valuable to Arsenal. In a team that can lack physical presence, his power and aerial ability are hugely important at both ends of the pitch. That he combines those skills with a deft touch and excellent vision is simply a bonus.

Giroud's current form will certainly have implications for Wenger's summer transfer plans. There are still plenty of Arsenal supporters who crave a marquee forward to match the likes of Diego Costa and Sergio Aguero. However, those are few and far between, and there's no guarantee that such a player would be available in the next window.

That's not necessarily cause for panic: while fans have been crying out for Wenger to buy a top-class striker, he has been busy developing one. Arsenal would have to do part with an awful lot of money to find a forward superior to this iteration of Giroud.