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Leicester City officially signs German goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler

The keeper was signed to a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee

Boris Streubel/Getty Images

Leicester City have officially signed Ron-Robert Zieler on four-year deal from Bundesliga club Hannover 96 for an undisclosed fee.

After announcing their first completed transfer of the summer last week with the sale of Andrej Kramaric to Hoffenheim, Leicester have announced that their first signing is now complete. With Kramaric moving to Germany, goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler has moved in the other direction.

The World Cup champion has signed for Leicester for an undisclosed fee from recently relegated Hannover. After the deal was announced, the 6'2" shot-stopper was full of praise for the facilities the fans at Leicester.

With the aged Mark Schwarzer seemingly moving on and the bearded Ben Hamer untested, a move for another keeper was always in the cards. The official cost of the transfer was not released, but it was thought that Leicester activated a release clause in Zieler's contract at €3.5 million; a fair price for a backup goalkeeper, especially one with Zieler's history.

The 27-year-old made nearly 200 appearances in the Bundesliga, as well as six caps for his country. His inclusion in Germany's 2014 World Cup squad makes him just the second world champion ever at Leicester, after England goalkeeper Gordon Banks.

The German's only previous English league experience came on loan in League 1 during the Foxes title run in 2008, though he never played against them.

He will also be familiar to a number of new teammates, having come through the Manchester United Academy at the same time as the likes of Danny Drinkwater, Matty James, Ritchie de Laet and Danny Simpson.

While Zieler arrives with a better reputation than most backups, expect Kasper Schmeichel's starting job to be in no immediate threat. Zieler will arrive as a strong second option, acting as insurance in case a long term deal can't be reached with Leicester's current number one.

All told, it appears to be a good deal, as Zieler will come in handy during the clogged fixture schedule next season.