Sparta Rotterdam close in on Hibs striker Elias Melkersen

Last updated : 15 January 2023 By Steve Forbes

Hibs striker Elias Melkersen is closing in on a move to Dutch side Sparta Rotterdam according to a report in Holland.

The Dutch side are keen on the 20-year-old Norwegian striker and are looking to land the player on an initial loan deal, with an option to buy at the end of the loan.

Melkersen joined the Hibees this time last January in a blaze of publicity, with Hibs stating they had signed him for a "significant six-figure fee" on a 4-and-a-half-year-deal.

Newspapers reported at the time that it was around the £400,000 mark, with the Scotsman/Edinburgh Evening News stating it was "significantly more than the £400,000 being reported". 

Melkersen announced his arrival a couple of months after signing, when he scored twice against Motherwell at Fir park in the 1-2 Scottish Cup Quarter Final win, but more goals have failed to materialise for the Norway U20 player.

He has never really been given a run in his favoured central striker role since joining the Hibees, instead being played out wide, he has scored 3 goals in 29 appearances.

HIBS-MAD VIEW:

Although we agree with a loan deal for Elias, we think it would be a daft move to agree to sell him in the loan deal.

Melkersen has bags of talent, but he has being playing most of the time out wide, when he is a central striker.

Rotterdam play in the Eredivise, a league stronger than the Scottish Premiership, if a club challenging for Europe in that league want the player, it tells you a lot.

We would have liked to have seen him loaned out for the rest of the season to a Scottish Championship side or maybe a Falkirk or Dunfermline in League One, to help gain some confidence by scoring goals and then for him to return in the summer with more experience under his belt.

If this goes through, I think it's one we may regret in the long-term.

Tell us what you think of this news on our forum HERE