‘We need to talk more about Strand Larsen’
How many strikers would describe scoring a Premier League goal as an “off day”? Jorgen Strand Larsen would.
Understandably Matheus Cunha grabbed a lot of the headlines following Wolves’ victory over Spurs, not only for his goal from off the bench as he returned from a four-game suspension, but doing so a day on from a deleted social media post where the Brazilian appeared to once again suggest his future lies away from the club.
However, for me, we need to talk more about Strand Larsen.
The Norwegian’s tap-in in front of the Sir Jack Hayward Stand was his 12th goal of the season and leaves him on track to become the first Wolves player to score in a fifth consecutive Premier League appearance when they head to Manchester United on Sunday.
Since the days of peak Raul Jimenez, the club have struggled to find an out-and-out striker capable of scoring regularly. There was hope Fabio Silva would become the main man, especially given a then club record fee of £35m was paid to secure the teenage prodigy back in 2020. He looks set to depart Molineux this summer having not been seen in the gold and black for almost 18 months, and with a derisory tally of five goals in 74 appearances.
Alan Shearer’s analysis of Strand Larsen’s performance during last weekend’s victory at Ipswich was as follows: “His hold-up play was excellent, his touch and control were superb.” It was an assessment which you could easily copy and paste into Sunday’s match report. Erling Haaland was more concise with his appraisal: “Mannnn” followed by two fire emojis when responding to his international team-mate’s social media post.
When speaking to Strand Larsen afterwards, rather than indulge in praise regarding his individual contribution, I found him to be admirably self-deprecating. Form of five goals in his past four games he says is down to “my team-mates”, and he said it was “nice to be close to such a legend” when I pointed out he was just one shy of Jimenez’s club record for the total scored by a Wolves player during a debut Premier League season.
In what was a largely jovial post-match press conference with boss Vitor Pereira, he could not have been more steely when refusing to answer questions about Wolves now being safe from relegation: “If I start to speak about being safe then I am not being ambitious. I did not come to England, to the Premier League, to work just to avoid relegation. I am not this kind of coach.”
Given only eight other clubs have players who have currently scored more Premier League goals than Strand Larsen this season, I feel he has already proven himself more than capable of helping Pereira target those desired loftier ambitions in the future.
Wolves’ Fox in the Box: Jørgen Strand Larsen’s Emergence Ends the Search for Raúl Jiménez’s Heir
Wolves lacked an impactful centre-forward for several years, but Jørgen Strand Larsen seems to have filled the void amid an encouraging debut season.
Jørgen Strand Larsen’s first season at Wolves was never likely to be a stroll in the park, and in many ways it’s been tougher than predicted because the team failed to even meet fairly modest expectations for a big chunk of the campaign.
But in a season that’s mostly been defined by a battle against Premier League relegation, something Wolves have ultimately won with ease since Vitor Pereira’s arrival, Strand Larsen’s emergence is undeniably a real reason for optimism.
Lured from Celta Vigo last summer for a reported £26 million, Strand Larsen addressed a specific need in a team that lacked a proper focal point.
While Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee-chan impressed last season, neither are genuine centre-forwards. Really, it’s a gap they’ve struggled to fill ever since Raúl Jiménez suffered a fractured skull in November 2020.
There was no celebration from Schade after a nasty mid-air collision with Chris Richards and he was replaced by Yehor Yarmoliuk before play resumed at Selhurst Park.
“I didn’t know the contact was coming because he came from behind, but even if I knew it was coming, I would have done the same,” says Schade.
“This is the risk every time you challenge for a ball in the box. It’s one of my strengths, headers – it’s part of my game.”
This leads to a discussion about Schade’s relationship with Damsgaard.
“He is very important for me,” he says.
“We have built a connection; I just know when he wants to play deep, and he knows when I want it deep. I enjoy playing with him.
“It comes from training as well, but everyone at the club knows he is this type of player.
“When I joined the club, one of the first things I was told is, ‘This is your guy. He’ll play you deep all the time – this is what he does.’”
The Mexican, justifiably, was unable to rediscover his best level for Wolves in front of goal after his long lay-off, scoring just six times in 49 league games before then enjoying something of a resurgence at Fulham.
Fabio Silva, Sasa Kalajdzic and Diego Costa weren’t able to pick up the slack on the goalscoring front; Hwang and Cunha managed to last term, though Wolves still lacked a presence to lead the line.
Strand Larsen caught the eye in Spain as a physical frontman who could be a reliable threat in the box, getting goals with instinctive finishes or headers. His profile understandably made him an attractive option for English clubs, and given the context of Wolves’ rather turbulent 2024-25, it’s fair to say he’s made a promising start.
Much of that comes down to the presence he has and impact he’s made in front of goal.
