Sunderland have completed the signing of defender Leo Fuhr Hjelde from Championship rivals Leeds United. The Norweigan U21 international has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal. The fee for the defender who can play left-back and centre-back is undisclosed. The deal was confirmed by Sunderland’s official website safc.com.
Following injuries to both Denis Cirkin and Niall Huggins, the arrival of 20-year-old Hjelde means Michael Beale has the option to move Trai Hume to his more natural position at right-back.
Sunderland Complete Signing of Defender Leo Fuhr Hjelde
New Signing on Joining Sunderland
Speaking after signing, Hjelde said: “It feels great to be here and I’m grateful for the opportunity. I spoke to my dad, who showed me the size of the club and the support, and I knew it was a move I simply I couldn’t turn down. I’m a ball-playing centre back, or left back, and I like to get up and down the pitch. I’ve been at some big Clubs previously and this has helped me develop as a player and as a person, but I’m now ready to push on and take the next step.”
Sunderland’s Sporting Director Welcomes Leo Fuhr Hjelde
Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman added: “We’re really pleased to have acquired Leo on a permanent basis, as he’s a player we’ve admired for some time. He possesses the ability to play three different positions in our backline, depending on the formation, and he joins us having already experienced the EFL Championship. We hope this will allow him to hit the ground running and help our team throughout the next 16 games, whilst also bringing added strength our squad in the long term.”
Who is Leo Fuhr Hjelde?
Born in Nottingham, Hjelde is the son of former Forest player Jon Olav Hjelde. The 6ft 2in defender who can play at left-back and in central defence began his career at Rosenburg but moved to Celtic aged just 15. While in Glasgow he had a spell on loan at Ross County playing 11 games and scoring one goal. However, he failed to make a single first-team appearance for The Bhoys.
While on loan at Ross County, their manager John Hughes was full of praise for the youngster. He said: “I 100% believe he will reach the Premier League. Leo is going to be the next Virgil Van Dijk, trust me on that, trust me”
In the summer of 2021, Hjelde left Glasgow for Yorkshire signing a four-year deal with Leeds United for an undisclosed fee. However, he has struggled for game time at Elland Road and was loaned to Rotherham United last season, playing 13 games.
