Latvia captain Kristers Tobers has joined Aberdeen from Swiss Super League side Grasshopper Club Zurich for an undisclosed fee.

The 24-year-old centre-back has signed a three-and-a-half-year contract, subject to UK Visa and immigration formalities.

Commenting on the second arrival at Pittodrie in the January transfer window, manager Jimmy Thelin said: “We’re really pleased to get this deal for Kristers over the line as we had to fight hard to get him here.

“It’s taken a lot of work behind the scenes over the last few months but he believes in what we are trying to build here and how competitive we want to be domestically, and also in Europe.

“Kristers is the consummate professional and not only will he fit into our style of play but he will add real leadership qualities to the squad.

“Despite his relatively young age we believe he will help our younger, developing players and we are confident will be a player that will make an immediate positive impact on and off the pitch.”

Tobers moved to Switzerland in 2023 from Lechia Gdansk, signing a two-year contract with an option to extend. He quickly established himself in Grasshopper’s defence and has made 44 appearances for the Club.

Capped 37 times by Latvia, and the current captain of the international side, he scored his first international goal in a match against Turkey.

Having made the move to Scotland, Kristers is eager to get started.

He said: “I’m really happy to be here. It’s been great to be at the training ground to meet all the players and I am looking forward to this new challenge.

“From listening to the manager and the coaching staff it felt like this was the right place to be. I felt in my heart this was the right decision for me. I believe this opportunity will help me to grow, it will help develop me physically, technically and mentally. It’s not easy to move out of your comfort zone.

“Aberdeen is such a big club in Scotland, even the response to the rumours in recent weeks have been so positive. It is clear they love football but it’s a big responsibility to show them we can win and make them happy and I just want to help the players here try to do that.”

RedTV subscribers can watch an exclusive interview with Kristers here.