Birmingham City sign Martin Jiranek from Spartak Moscow
Birmingham City have today completed a deal for Spartak Moscow’s Martin Jiranek, who has joined the English Premier League outfit for an undisclosed fee on transfer deadline day.
The 31-year-old central defender has signed a one-year deal with the Blues. Czech Republic international Jiranek also has UEFA Champions League experience.
Birmingham manager Alex McLeish told his club’s official website that: "We are short at the back with regards to defensive cover. Jiranek has tremendous experience on club, European and international fronts. He is a good presence and his arrival will keep Roger Johnson and Scott Dann on their toes."
Spartak was previously reported to have offered Jiranek to Birmingham after a contract dispute. As he was set to become a free agent in December, Spartak has decided to cash in on their captain.
AEK Athens and Real Zaragoza were also said to be interested in the player, but Birmingham won the race to secure the services of the versatile Jiranek, who can also play at left-back.
Jirnake started his career with Bohemians Prague after coming through the youth ranks there. After a two year spell at Slovan Liberec, he made the switch to Reggina and played more than 100 games for the Italian outfit.
In 2004, he made the switch to Russian Premier League outfit Spartak for a fee of around 4.7 million euros. In six seasons with the club, he made more than 130 appearances and scored four goals. Although he had failed to win any silverware in Russia, he helped the club to finish as league runners-up in the 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009 seasons.
Jiranek has also featured for the Czech Republic, having made 31 appearances for the senior side but scoring no goals. He made his debut in 2002 and has gone on to feature at the UEFA 2004 European Football Championship and the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
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