With the transfer window set to close there remains plenty of business to be done by Sunderland.

Sporting director Kristjaan Speakman completed the club's first deal of the January transfer window with little over 48-hours remaining until the deadline with the arrival of Leeds United defender Leo Hjelde. The 20-year-old signed a four-and-a-half-year deal at the Stadium of Light and provides head coach Michael Beale with an additional option across a number of defensive positions after injuries to the likes of Niall Huggins, Dennis Cirkin and Aji Alese. 

“It feels great to be here and I’m grateful for the opportunity," Hjelde said after completing his move from Elland Road.

"I spoke to my dad [former Nottingham Forest defender Jon Olav Hjelde], 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 Speakman added on the club's first  signing of the window: “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.”

Sunderland will be hoping they can make further additions to their squad ahead of Thursday's deadline and We Are Sunderland assess what could be a busy remaining few days of the window in our latest briefing. 

We are joined by special guest Nick Barnes - the voice of Sunderland on the airwaves who looks back on his time covering the club before delivering his verdict on some of the current issues at the Stadium of Light including Beale's start to life on Wearside and Alex Pritchard's decision to withdraw himself from selection against Stoke City. 

All that and more is available in our latest video below: