Liverpool have completed the signing of defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos from AEK Athens, the Premier League club have announced.
The Greece international has completed his transfer to Liverpool and signed a two-year contract.
The 30-year-old passed a medical to finalise his switch from AEK Athens, and will go straight into the squad for Monday's Premier League home match against Aston Villa at Anfield.
He is likely to partner Jamie Carragher in the heart of defence, taking the place of teenager Daniel Ayala who made his full debut in Wednesday's 4-0 win over Stoke.
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is without two key defenders through injury.
Danish centre-back Daniel Agger will have an operation on his back in Germany on Tuesday, and will be out for six weeks.
Martin Skrtel is still struggling with a damaged jaw, sustained at Tottenham last weekend, and is not expected to be fit to face Villa.
Benitez has been searching for defensive cover for weeks, having tried to sign Ryan Shawcross and Michael Turner. He was also linked this week with West Ham's Matthew Upson.
But Liverpool's owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks are believed to have put the block on any further major signings, meaning that Benitez has had to search for the cheaper options.
He has snapped up Kyrgiakos for £2m, and said of his latest signing: ''He has had experience in Scotland with Rangers, and in Germany with Eintracht Frankfurt as well as with the Greek national side.
''He is strong and good in the air, and we were looking for experience and he is the perfect answer.''
Kyrgiakos, who has been capped 50 times by Greece and will be unveiled to the media tomorrow, described his decision to move to England as ''the biggest challenge of my career''.
The tough-tackling defender moved back to Greece in 2008 after one season at Rangers and two with Eintracht Frankfurt.
