FC Seoul in the top-flight South Korean football league said Sunday it has acquired a Spanish defender Osmar Barba from a Thai pro club.

In a news release, the K League Classic club said it has signed the 25-year-old defender to a three-year deal. The team said the player, simply known as Osmar, is able to play as centerback and holding midfielder.

Osmar starred for Buriram United in the Thai Premier League in the past two years, helping the team win the Thai league title in 2013 and become the first team from the country to reach the knockout stage at the AFC Champions League last year.

The offensive-minded defender scored 13 goals for Buriram United last season.

Before joining the Thai side, Osmar had played for first-division Spanish league team Racing Santander from 2009 to 2012.

FC Seoul said Osmar’s versatility should add a new element to the team’s defense next season.

FC Seoul has lost two key players to Chinese clubs this offseason, as striker Dejan Damjanovic, three-time reigning K-League Classic scoring champion, joined Jiangsu Sainty and midfielder Ha Dae-sung left for Beijing Guoan.

Last week, FC Seoul said it has offered its veteran defender Adilson dos Santos a coaching position and that it was looking to sign a new defender from a foreign league to fill the gap. (Yonhap News)