Glimpses, Tracks | Lode sold to Sweden – can be replaced by Danish talent

(Nettavisen/AN): There has been speculation about Jærbuen this winter and in mid-March Lode himself went out in the local newspaper AN and gave a clear message that he wanted to leave. It was in connection with the fact that the 31-year-old had been getting less and less playing time in Glimt.

At the same time as a couple of Swedish clubs had started to show concrete interest in the stopper.

On Wednesday evening, Nettavisen and AN can learn that Lode has been sold from Glimt to Swedish Häcken. The same evening, this is confirmed on Glimt’s website.

According to Glimt, the final papers were signed on Wednesday. Lode sets course for Gothenburg later in the week.

– It feels very strange to leave Bodø/Glimt, because it is a club and a city that I have grown to love. Things may not have turned out quite as I imagined when I came back from Germany, but overall I look back on a fantastic time in Bodø, says Lode to glimt.no.

– I will be a keen Glimt supporter and will always cheer for Glimt. I have built up quite good friendships in the club, but also outside. It is one of the hardest things about leaving, that you leave the network I have gained in the city.

According to what AN and Nettavisen know, Glimt will receive around NOK six million for selling the experienced stopper. The agreement must contain a bonus-based part and a fixed sum.

The 31-year-old has 193 games for Glimt. He also has two caps for Norway.

Long process

Glimt have not been particularly keen to sell Lode until they possibly had a replacement in place. This also had to be connected financially so that it would make sense for the reigning league champions to release the experienced centre-back.

Nettavisen also learns that Glimt has reached an agreement with FC Nordsjælland on an agreement for 19-year-old Villads Nielsen.

The young Dane was on the radar of Turin and Utrecht last summer, before Juventus and Glimt rival Tromsø made an offer for the centre-back in January, Nettavisen learns.

Now, by all accounts, it ends with Nielsen replacing Lode in Bodø, despite the fact that Dutch clubs were interested in his signature.

There will only be details left in the personal contract before Nielsen can get on the plane to Bodø together with his agent Simon Friis, to finalize the transfer.

These details are not expected to cause major problems for the parties.

The Danish U19 national team player belongs to the U19 team for Nordsjælland, but Glimt is said to have identified Nielsen as a player with great potential that they can develop further.

Glimt already has established stoppers such as Brede Moe, Jostein Gundersen and Odin Bjørtuft in the squad. Nielsen will possibly enter this group as a challenger who will be given time to develop.

The yellow jerseys also sold another stopper, Isak Helstad Amundsen, to Molde earlier this winter.