New Boy Martin Skrtel

I got a feeling that he and Agger would be good friends....

Liverpoolfc.tv - 10 things you never knew about Martin Skrtel:

1. Skrtel was a competent hockey player and could have followed a career in the sport until his passion for football took over and - fortunately for us - he opted to ply his trade in the world of the beautiful game instead.

2. He has already had a taste of what it means to play football on Merseyside having featured for former club Zenit St Petersberg in a 1-0 UEFA cup defeat against Everton on December 5, 2007.

3. At the age of 23 Martin is already an established international with Slovakia. He has 15 caps to-date and scored his first and only goal for his country in a Euro 2008 Qualifier when he netted the opener in a 6-1 win at home to Cyprus.

4. A move to Liverpool has left him so excited he has had trouble sleeping. He said: "I have realised that in all likelihood a new era of my life is beginning. I struggled to get any sleep on Saturday night, and I normally have no problems sleeping."

5. The 6ft 4 defender came second in the list of the best football players named by Slovak Football Union and newspaper 'Pravda' in December 2006.

6. He was a key member of the Zenit side that clinched the 2007 Russian League title - their finest achievement since winning the USSR Championship in 1984.

7. If Liverpool qualify for next season's Champions League he could well come up against his former teammates as a result of their title success.

8. He becomes Liverpool's most expensive defender, with the fee surpassing the previous record for Daniel Agger in January 2006.

9. Martin was born on December 15, 1984, on the very same day as guitarist Joshua Third, of cult rock band The Horrors.

10. He rose through the ranks at Slovakian outfit FC Previdza and also played for FC Trencin before leaving his homeland for Zenit in 2004. He played 113 matches for the Russian side, scoring five goals in total.