Phil Hay: Leeds now agree deal for “quality” player to leave Elland Road
It is almost time for Daniel Farke to bid farewell to another of his defenders.
Since Leeds United hasn’t added any new players this month, the departures from Elland Road have been the main news. Daniel Farke ended Spurs’ loan deal for Djed Spence, which was supposed to run the entire season, and completed the temporary transfer of fellow full-back Luke Ayling to Middlesbrough.
After submitting a transfer request in the summer and seeing little play in the first half of the season, Wilfried Gnonto looked like he may wind up leaving with them. However, he’s reportedly on the verge of signing a new contract in West Yorkshire.
Before the deadline, Leeds hopes to complete a “excellent” sign.
In addition to pursuing a move for David Brooks, Leeds United may increase their chances of promotion with this January acquisition.
Rather, Leo Hjelde, who is apparently nearing a departure, may be the final big departure of the January window at the defensive position.
Leeds reach Hjelde agreement
As to Phil Hay of The Athletic, Leeds has finalised an agreement to trade Hjelde to Sunderland, their rivals for the Championship promotion. Hjelde will now proceed to Wearside for a medical examination.
Evidently, the Norwegian has been “a long way from Farke’s plans,” and he will definitely switch the Whites for the Black Cats before Thursday’s deadline, unless there are any health problems or personal differences.
Hjelde exit seemed inevitable
The summer of 2021 saw Leeds sign Hjelde from Celtic. He played in a few Premier League games before making his FA Cup debut in a loss to West Ham in the third round.
His sole game in the first half of the season was in the League Cup, therefore he didn’t perform as well as he may have expected to previous season. Leeds chose to loan him to Championship Rotherham Early in the New Year. His 11 starts to gain some crucial senior experience and a “quality” evaluation from teammate Richard Wood demonstrated that the loan was beneficial.
Hjelde may have thought that his improved understanding of the Championship would help him when Leeds were demoted, and he started the season’s opening match at home against Cardiff. But he was substituted off the field at halftime in that game, and although he was included in three of Farke’s last four league matchday teams and took part in Leeds’ League Cup matches against Salford and Shrewsbury, he hasn’t played for the first team since the end of August.
| Leo Hjelde’s Leeds stats | Volume |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 8 |
| League appearances | 3 |
| League starts | 1 |
| Cup appearances | 5 |
| Cup starts | 5 |
Hjelde has been out of the picture for a while, mostly due to injury. He has played more minutes at Premier League 2 level (270) than he has for the first squad (180). As a result, leaving felt inevitable. It’s unclear how much Leeds was able to get out of the deal, however Fabricio Romano said £2 million.
