Jorgen Strand Larsen scored twice in three minutes for Wolves after Newcastle established transfer interest
Jorgen Strand Larsen of Wolverhampton Wanderers celebrates
Newcastle United transfer target Jorgen Strand Larsen celebrates after rescuing Wolves in their Carabao Cup tie against West Ham
(Image: Wolverhampton Wanderers FC/Wolves via Getty Images))
Fresh from being subject of a rejected bid from Newcastle United, Jorgen Strand Larsen has responded by scoring twice in three minutes to send Wolves through to the Carabao Cup third round.
As Chronicle Live reported on Monday, the Magpies' £50m attempt to sign the Norwegian from their Premier League rivals was turned down. This wasn't to the end of the saga, however, as talks were expected to continue into the final days of the transfer window.
Meanwhile Wolves had a Carabao Cup second round tie with West Ham United at Molineux on their calendar. Head coach Vitor Pereira decided best to rotate his squad and Strand Larsen was one of eight changes, dropping down to the bench.
The Midlands club took a first-half lead through defender Rodrigo Gomes before the Hammers battled back. By 63 minutes it was 2-1 to Graham Potter's side.
Pereira finally turned to Strand Larsen in the 73rd minute. The 25-year-old did not let the recent Newcastle transfer interest cloud his mind and successfully turned the tie in his team's favour.
With 82 minutes played the Norwegian equalised, firing into the roof of the net with a rebounded effort. There didn't seem to be any specific message sent with the following celebration - the striker was just congratulated by numerous teammates.
And then two minutes later Strand Larsen netted a header to flip the script and eventually send Wolves into the third round with a 3-2 victory. Again, there seemed to be no subliminal message with his celebration, which was a wilder carbon copy of the reaction to his previous goal.
Strand Larsen could have even bagged a hat-trick, though skied a third attempt on goal when one-on-one with Alphonse Areola.
It remains to be seen what kind of impact this performance has on Newcastle's transfer ambitions. Their top-flight rivals might decide to dig their heels in to keep hold of a player of such importance.
Or alternatively money could talk and the Magpies submitting the correct offer could open to door the striker signing Eddie Howe has desired all summer long.
The only downside with this specific deal is Strand Larsen would now be cup-tied for the remainder of the season, therefore would not be able to take part in Newcastle's defence of the trophy.
Here at ChronicleLive, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Newcastle United coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don't miss out on the latest NUFC news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories.
And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Everything is Black and White podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.