His name might look out of place among the best goal-getters in the Premier League. But ask anyone at Wolverhampton Wanderers about the growing influence of Jorgen Strand Larsen and they’ll tell you it deserves to be there.
At number 10 in the rankings, the big Norwegian is outside the elite cluster. He’s a way back from Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak and Erling Haaland, who occupy the top three spots. But the 25-year-old - in his first full season, don’t forget - still made the top 10. That’s some going.
Those behind him in the goalscoring stakes include Brighton & Hove Albion’s Joao Pedro - who is now the subject of a £70million valuation - incoming Chelsea striker Liam Delap and Liverpool’s Luis Diaz.
Strand Larsen Benefitted from a Difficult Start
Frontman has seamlessly adjusted to life in Premier League
Jorgen Strand Larsen in action for Wolverhampton Wanderers
What’s more, Strand Larsen ended the season level with Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta, who has been attracting - rightly - rave reviews. Yet the difference between Mateta and Wolves’ 6ft 4in forward is that it took the Eagles’ hitman five years to get to this point.
The big Frenchman first arrived in south London on loan from Mainz 05. And it has taken a huge public vote of confidence in him by Oliver Glasner for his current employers to realise his talents.
By comparison, Strand Larsen has had nine months. His goal tally breaks down into two parts of the season - with a gaping hole in mid-season where a two-month absence without finding the net caused mild heart palpitations at Molineux.
Jorgen Strand Larsen's statistics for Wolverhampton Wanderers this season
It probably felt like a baptism of fire to the Scandinavian, who signed from Celta Vigo for £12m. Gary O’Neil’s stint as the club’s boss was certainly not aided by the horribly difficult start dished out by the Premier League computer.
And, at first glance, neither did it do Strand Larsen much good, either. However, one possible advantage was that it exposed the striker to the best. If any footballer is going to improve, they have to see up close and personal just what they need to do.
But the signs were there that Wolves had got themselves a poacher. His first three goals - against Chelsea, Brentford and Manchester City - showed that he likes working within the two goalposts.
His first for the club was a poke from close in following a headed knock-down, the second was a flick after the forward stole in front of his marker at the Gtech Community Stadium. And his third was a side foot against Pep Guardiola’s side - again he was where it mattered to knock the ball home.
Munetsi's Winter Arrival Helped Strand Larsen
Norwegian has had further support in final third of pitch
Marshall Munetsi in action for Wolverhampton Wanderers
But there has been an alteration to Strand Larsen's game since Wolves head coach Vitor Pereira recruited Marshall Munetsi during the winter transfer window. It has taken both the club and the player some time to adapt - and the Zimbabwean too needs credit for the manner in which he has affected games.
He’s not the most cultured on the ball, but his effect on the big striker has been, according to Pereira, marked. Asked why there had been such an upturn in goals from the Scandinavian, his boss said: “He’s working a lot. He’s much more confident.
“He’s working a lot on the small things, but those that make a difference, the technical things for a striker. But I tell you again that Munetsi is a player because now we have a player close to Strand Larsen. And this player is Munetsi.
“In France, he played off the back of a striker, and he’s a player who likes to attack space. I think the connection between them is a good one. Every time we cross a ball into the box, Munetsi is there, making a movement that opens up the space for Larsen.
“I looked at the training we did before the game against Leicester. I was watching what happened. And every time, Munetsi’s there. Every time. This, the movement or support of the ball into Larsen…to move into this space and fix opponents, attracting the opponent to him is what opens up the space.
“Matheus Cunha may have the ball but Munetsi is in the space. Defenders go with him and it opens up the space for Larsen - and he scored.”
Wolverhampton Wanderers talisman Matheus Cunha and head coach Vitor Pereira Related
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Of course, the trick for Pereira is for either Wolves’ recruitment team - or, more likely, agent Jorge Mendes - to come up with a like-for-like replacement for Cunha following his move to Manchester United.
Two pieces of the attacking jigsaw are working, but Pereira still needs a player capable of replicating the work done by the Brazilian. Sure, Cunha had his bouts of petulance - and this is not cheapening them - but he also possessed the ability to create the odd chance out of nothing.
It is the kind of form that keeps defenders on their toes. The challenge now for director of football Matt Hobbs and Wolves’ backroom boys - along with Mendes, who has one of the best contact books in the business - is to find that star quality, an uncut diamond, at a price that fits their pay structure.
It would help that this potential recruit can also complement what’s already in place. Mendes has turned Wolves into a breeding ground for talent that can be given a platform - and then it’s simply moved on.
He’s come up trumps with a number of forwards during the past six years who have moved on to bigger and better. But they aren’t the same mould as Strand Larsen, who is a throwback centre forward. And, dare we say it, one that is creeping back into fashion.
Strand Larsen at Wolves, Delap at Chelsea, Mateta at Crystal Palace and Chris Wood at Nottingham Forest have all been in the goals this season. As former Wolves’ midfielder Dave Edwards said: “Jorgen gives you hard work…running the channels, beating up centre-halves. Now he is becoming a really important figure for Wolves.”
Just how much depends on Wolves’ recruitment because, as Pereira rightly identified, the Norwegian’s game is on the up.
All statistics courtesy of Sofascore - correct as of 02/06/2025
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