Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen has enjoyed a solid debut campaign at Molineux, becoming arguably their best number nine since Raul Jimenez.
Following his brace against Southampton last time out, ending his seven-game goal drought, Strand Larsen now has nine Premier League goals to his name.
The 25-year-old is a highly-rated member of the Wolves squad, with Emmanuel Agbadou praising Strand Larsen as ‘quality’ after watching his two well-taken goals at St Mary’s.
Standing at 6 foot 4 inches, the towering Norwegian benefits from crosses into the box, with Vitor Pereira’s men often not firing enough balls into their big striker.
However, as they look to send more ammunition into the centre forward, the return of one talent this summer holds the key to improved service.
Hugo Bueno is better at crossing than Rayan Ait-Nouri
A stat graphic comparing Rayan Ait-Nouri with Hugo Bueno during the 2024-25 season.
Credit: SofaScore
Ahead of the summer transfer window, speculation surrounds the future of wing-back Rayan Ait-Nouri.
The Algerian has the second most goal involvements of any defender in the Premier League (eight), with only Fulham’s Antonee Robinson (10) boasting more.
As a result of such form, Tottenham have been linked with Ait-Nouri and are joined by the likes of West Ham and Liverpool in the race for his signature.
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Although it would be a tough pill to swallow losing their talented wing-back, the return of Hugo Bueno would soften the blow somewhat.
Bueno has starred on loan at Feyenoord, plying his trade in the Champions League and showcasing his lethal crossing into the box.
As demonstrated by the above graphic, the Spanish defender is more suited to playing with Strand Larsen than Ait-Nouri, as he’s more accurate with his crossing, whereas the Algerian excels in other areas of the game, such as his fleet-footed dribbling and goal threat.
Molineux News understands that Bueno would be Ait-Nouri’s replacement should he leave the club this summer, and the 22-year-old has shown he’s ready to star under Pereira.
Accurate crosses can take Jorgen Strand Larsen to the next level
Photo by Jack Thomas - WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
A tall and languid striker such as Strand Larsen would benefit from Bueno’s service, whose primary aim is to get the ball out of his feet and launch ammunition into the box.
Throughout this campaign, there’s been a distinct lack of quality being fired into the big striker and Dave Edwards wants Wolves to play to Strand Larsen’s strengths.
“Wolves haven’t always played to his [Strand Larsen’s] strengths,” Edwards said. “Without Cunha in the team there was more impetus on crossing early against Southampton and the first goal came from that situation.
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“He might make 10 runs and only be found once but when he does get that one chance, the numbers show he is clinical.”
Strand Larsen has outperformed Erling Haaland and the rest of the Premier League for the best shot percentage in the top flight, with 69.2% of his attempts going on target.
With increased service into the box, especially if Bueno plays a prominent role next season, surely the Norwegian will become unstoppable.