Sheffield Wednesday have signed central defender Reda Johnson from League 1 rivals Plymouth Argyle for an undisclosed fee.

Johnson has signed a three-and-a-half year contract at Hillsborough and becomes the Owls' first new recruit of the January transfer window.

The 22-year-old joined Plymouth in the summer of 2009 and went on to make 43 senior appearances for the Devon club.

Johnson began his career with Gueugnon in France, the country of his birth. He moved on to fellow French side Amiens, where his impressive rearguard displays earned international recognition with Benin, for whom he has three caps to date.

Plymouth then beat SPL side Aberdeen for his signature and Johnson soon developed into a crowd favourite at Home Park.

Wednesday manager Alan Irvine said: "I am delighted to bring Reda to Sheffield Wednesday. He is a young, athletic defender who I have been aware of for some time.

"He is composed on the ball, very strong in the air and in the tackle and has plenty of experience for a player of 22. It is no secret that we have been looking to strengthen our defence and Reda is a quality addition.

"I would like to thank Milan (Mandaric) for cutting short his holiday to help me bring Reda to Hillsborough and I am sure the reward will be some excellent performances on the pitch."

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