The latest on Newcastle United’s pursuit of Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Newcastle United have seen a bid rejected for Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Jorgen Strand Larsen, but the deal may not be dead in the water just yet.
The Magpies are reportedly eager to bring in at least one new centre-forward before the end of the transfer window, regardless of whether Alexander Isak leaves the club. Probably the most prominent saga of the summer has been around Isak and his refusal to play for Newcastle as he holds out for a move to Liverpool, but it’s growing increasingly unlikely that will happen.
With Isak or not, Newcastle are still short of attacking options and Eddie Howe wants to correct that before the window slams shut next Monday. Time is running out but Strand Larsen is a serious target and could yet make the move to St. James’ Park.
Newcastle bid rejected by Wolves, another tipped
As first revealed by our sister publication, the Express & Star, Newcastle saw an opening bid of £50 million rejected by Wolves on Monday. Birmingham World understands this information is true and that Wanderers are highly reluctant to let Strand Larsen leave as they believe it’s too late to source a suitable replacement.
With Wolves in the relegation zone after two matches and likely to be down that end of the table for much of the campaign, selling Strand Larsen could prove to be very costly indeed. Despite being yet to find the net this season, the Norway international scored 14 Premier League goals during his debut campaign and is likely to be one of Wolves’ best players once more.
That is, unless, Newcastle end up signing him after all. Daily Telegraph writer Luke Edwards reports the Magpies do not think the Strand Larsen is dead despite their initial offer being rebuffed. There’s a feeling that Wolves may be tempted to sell if the fee is increased, so there’s every chance a second bid will be tabled this week.
The Athletic reports Wolves’ stance is to reject any bid for Strand Larsen this summer, though reputable Norwegian journalist Jan Aage Fjortoft claims ‘another offer is imminent’ and that it ‘should be enough’. The next days could be pivotal.
Strand Larsen to Newcastle makes sense - just not for Wolves
For Strand Larsen himself, a transfer to Newcastle could make great sense as he would be fast-tracking himself to the top half of the Premier League. The Norwegian is understood to be keen on the move to Tyneside, though he’s not pushing for a transfer like Isak has.
Albeit not as fast as Isak, Strand Larsen is still pretty quick when he gets up to speed and proved he’s clinical when presented with opportunities. Strand Larsen was the Premier League’s tenth top scorer last season and ranked in the top 20 per cent of centre-forwards for non-penalty expected goals, with 10.27. Only 14 per cent of strikers could beat Strand Larsen’s tallies of 34 shots on target and 67 aerial duels won as he proved to be a nuisance for opposition defenders.
One aspect of Strand Larsen’s game that isn’t so visible in his underlying data is his movement. Matheus Cunha understandably took plenty of the credit for Wolves’ success last season but Strand Larsen was only one goal behind, with many of his chances coming as a result of late runs into the box and an ability to peel away from centre-halves.
As much as Strand Larsen could be a great signing for Newcastle, Wolves feel they cannot afford to lose him. It may be tempting to cash in for a huge immediate profit after signing him permanently in July for just £23 million, but Strand Larsen could genuinely be the difference between Wolves staying up or going down. That’s not a risk worth taking.
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