Former Lorient defender Laurent Koscielny hopes his move to Arsenal will accelerate his chances of winning a first cap with France.
The 24-year-old moves to north London on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee.
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."
