Leo Hjelde

SAFC

Sunderland AFC is delighted to announce the signing of Leo Hjelde.

Arriving at the Stadium of Light from Leeds United for an undisclosed fee, the defender has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract on Wearside.

Hjelde, 20, has made 33 senior appearances so far in his career, which started with Norwegian side Rosenborg before he moved to Scottish giants Celtic in July 2019.

The son of former Nottingham Forest defender Jon Olav Hjelde, Leo was born in England and following a loan spell in the Scottish Premiership with Ross County, he returned south of the border in August 2021 to join Leeds.

He made his Whites debut six months later in an Emirates FA Cup tie against West Ham United before lining up against the Hammers for a second time one week later, as his Premier League debut ended in a memorable 3-2 win.

Hjelde spent the second part of last season on loan in the Sky Bet Championship with Rotherham United, making 13 appearances to help the Millers maintain their second-tier status.

Leo 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.”

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.