Whilst it has not been officially confirmed, Wolverhampton Wanderers know that they will be playing in the Championship when the 2026/27 campaign kicks off in August.
The last time the Old Gold were in the Championship, Lamine Yamal was 11 years old and playing in Barcelona's academy, whilst Erling Haaland was playing for Molde in Norway.
It has been a long and respectable stint in the top-flight for the club, but times change and football evolves, as evidenced by Yamal and Haaland's standings in the current game compared to where they were in 2018.
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Whilst the latter has gone on to become one of the world's best strikers, scoring two hat-tricks against Wolves in the Premier League, the Old Gold also signed a Norwegian centre-forward in the past eight years.
Jorgen Strand Larsen spent 18 months at The Molineux before he was sold to Crystal Palace in a deal that may go down as a masterclass by the club.
How Wolves played a blinder with their sale of Jorgen Strand Larsen
On the face of it, selling your best centre-forward, who scored 14 Premier League goals last season, midway through a relegation battle did not look like a good piece of business.
However, Wolves were already cut adrift at that point of the season and any transfer business that was done in the winter window was unlikely to have much of an impact on their league finish.
By selling him in the January window, though, the Old Gold were able to extract maximum value for his services, rather than potentially having to sell him for a cut-price fee after relegation to the Championship in the summer.
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Strand Larsen was sold for £48m just six months after he was signed on a permanent deal from Celta Vigo for £23m after his season-long loan spell at the club last term.
Wolves made an almost instant £25m profit on their Norwegian centre-forward, which may help with their budget for their Championship campaign next year, should they go down.
How Wolves can repeat their Jorgen Strand Larsen masterclass
The Old Gold made a huge profit on their Scandanavian sensation and they could repeat that masterstroke of a transfer by signing one of their reported targets this summer.
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Wolves are reportedly the frontrunners to sign Hacken central midfielder Silas Andersen in a deal that could be worth up to £9m, ahead of teams like Rangers and Inter.
The Danish midfield star has the potential to be a fantastic investment by the club because he is a 21-year-old talent whose performances in the Allsvenskan in the 2025 campaign were incredibly impressive.
2025 Allsvenskan Silas Andersen League rank
Tackles made 84 3rd
Interceptions 43 5th
Passes made 1,599 3rd
Duels won 192 5th
Ground duels won 161 5th
Yellow cards 11 2nd
Andersen ranked highly in most defensive metrics in the Swedish top-flight, which shows that he is a combative midfielder who consistently looks to disrupt the opposition's attacks.
On top of his defensive output, the Dane averaged a whopping 91.5 touches per game, more than any Wolves player this season, and scored two goals and provided two assists.
The 21-year-old talent can impact games in and out of possession with his mobility and strength off the ball and his ability to dictate matches with his touches, goals, and assists.
He is a complete midfielder who could be a pivotal part of a promotion challenge for Wolves, because his touches per game show that he is used to being in a team that dominates possession.
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This means that he could showcase the best of his abilities in a Wolves team that should be challenging at the top of the table in the Championship, which could help him to raise his profile and value.
The Old Gold could hit the jackpot by signing Andersen for £9m because he could help Rob Edwards out on the pitch with his complete midfield performances, whilst also growing in value by being in the perfect situation for his skillset.
Therefore, Wolves could repeat their Strand Larsen masterclass by signing another Scandinavian talent who has the potential to be sold for another big profit in the future.
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