Rotherham United are interested in signing young Leeds United centre-back Leo Hjelde on loan after the arrival of defender Max Wober pushed the Norwegian down the pecking order at the West Yorkshire club.
This development was first revealed as part of a live transfer news blog on The Athletic yesterday [10 January].
The update reported that Rotherham were interested in a loan deal for Hjelde lasting for the rest of the season as they fight against relegation from the Championship.
The Millers currently sit 21st in the English second tier and are out of the relegation zone by only one point.
If Rotherham were to sign Hjelde it would become manager Matt Taylor’s second defensive signing of the January window after recently securing the signature of Sean Morrison.
No brainer
Max Wober’s arrival at Leeds last week signalled one thing to Leo Hjelde: that boss Jesse Marsch doesn’t see him factoring into his plans for the Whites squad this season.
With the versatility of players such as Wober and Pascal Struijk, both of whom can play at either centre-half or left-back, Hjelde will be making limited appearances for Leeds this season, if any.
It makes sense for the 19-year-old to seek regular gametime elsewhere as a result of this, with relegation-battling Rotherham being the perfect place for him to test his mettle.
Not only will his physical abilities as a player be challenged there but also his mentality as he will find himself part of a squad scrapping for survival every single match.
Rotherham will be receiving a player of considerable quality to help bolster their defence, with Leeds hopefully reaping the rewards of a beneficial loan spell when Hjelde returns to Elland Road in the summer.
