It has been a very tough season so far for Wolves, but Jorgen Strand Larsen has been something of a bright spark.
The Norway international joined the club from Celta Vigo on an initial loan basis, arriving after Rodrigo Gomes and Pedro Lima.
The move will soon turn permanent, with Wolves to pay around £23 million in total for the striker.
The hope is that Strand Larsen can become the quality number nine at Molineux that fans have longed for since the days of the prime Raul Jimenez.
Sasa Kalajdzic and Fabio Silva were intended to be that player. But it has not worked out for either of them.
But so far, there have been encouraging signs about Strand Larsen, and Lee Naylor – like many fans – has been very enthused.
Naylor hails Strand Larsen’s work rate for Wolves
So far, Strand Larsen has scored four goals for Wolves, which is a good return considering he struggles of the team as a collective.
The star has a goal conversion rate of 29% so far which is fairly decent – for context, Erling Haaland’s is now 23%.
As per BBC Sport data, Strand Larsen also has the highest shot accuracy (71%) of all the players to appear on the top scorers page (which features 34 players).
So Strand Larsen is looking like a big goal threat. But the thing that impresses former Old Gold full-back Lee Naylor the most is his work rate.
He said on Matchday Live Extra: “He just doesn’t stop. That’s what I like about him.
“That’s one thing I really like about him. He does not stop, he doesn’t give up on it. He’s always trying. You can’t fault that.”
Strand Larsen is proving a great signing for Wolves
Strand Larsen can be pleased with his start to life at Wolves, although he will now be desperate to taste victory in the Premier League for the first time.
But as far as his performances go this season, Strand Larsen looks to be a great addition.
O’Neil did challenge him to improve his fitness recently, but Wolves fans defended Strand Larsen with some arguing he does a lot of selfless running into the channels because others don’t do so.
| Jorgen Strand Larsen for Wolves |
| Appearances – 11 |
| Minutes played – 837 |
| Goals – 4 |
| Assists – 2 |
Steve Bull told Strand Larsen in pre-season he’d have to be patient in this Wolves team, and at times he has lacked service.
There is an argument that Wolves are not completely playing to Strand Larsen’s strengths, so considering those things, he’s definitely impressed so far this season.
Hopefully, he is going to become the best striker at Wolves since Jimenez before his horrible skull injury in 2020.