Aberdeen FCAberdeen have completed the signing of Latvian defender Kristers Tobers from Swiss side Grasshoppers.
The centre-back has made a permanent switch for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-and-a-half-year deal at Pittodrie.
Tobers becomes the Dons’ second signing of the January window, following Jeppe Okkels’ loan from Preston, as manager Jimmy Thelin looks to turn around a poor run of form after an impressive start to the season.
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.”
The 24-year-old centre-back, who can also play in midfield, began his career with Liepaja in Latvia but earned a move to Polish side Lechia Gdansk in 2020.
His form in the Ekstraklasa persuaded Grasshoppers to take him to Zurich in 2023. He played 31 games in the Super League last season and he played ten league games this term before making the switch to Aberdeen.
Tobers made his Latvia debut in 2019, having previously played for his country at youth level, and has gone on to make 37 international appearances. He was made Latvia captain in June 2023 and has worn the armband on 14 occasions.
“I’m really happy to be here,” Tobers told Aberdeen’s official website. “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 comfortable 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.”
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