Matt Hobbs was filmed chatting with new signing Jorgen Strand Larsen – and fans will love what the sporting director said to the striker.
Wolves brought in the Norway international last week from Celta Vigo.
The club have signed him on loan, and the move will be turned permanent once he makes a certain number of appearances for the club.
Strand Larsen is a player Wolves have kept tabs on for a long time, and the timing was finally right this summer for a swoop.
Fans are very excited to watch him in action. Gary O’Neil has wanted a new number nine for a while, and Strand Larsen has attributes that could make a him a real hit in English football.
Over the weekend, Wolves released footage of Strand Larsen’s first day at Compton Park, and also Pedro Lima – and there is one very interesting exchange he has with Matt Hobbs.
Matt Hobbs says the objective is for Wolves to push for Europe this season
Last season ended disappointingly for Wolves.
O’Neil was forced to turn to young players because of injuries to key players like Matheus Cunha, Hwang Hee-chan, Pedro Neto and Craig Dawson.
Wolves had momentum at the start of the year. But the injuries halted momentum, and the club ended up finishing 14th in the Premier League.
Wolves also crashed out of the FA Cup at the hands of Coventry City at the quarter-final stage. That result really did take the wind out of the sails.
But O’Neil showed there is real potential with this squad.
If he is backed this summer – and so far he has received a solid level of backing – then perhaps Wolves can dream of finishing a lot higher up the table in 2024/25. Matt Hobbs certainly wants to believe that is possible.
In Wolves’ video of Strand Larsen’s first day at Compton, the 24-year-old tells the sporting director he was left impressed by the passion of the team last season.
Hobbs can then be heard telling the striker: “Have a push for Europe, that’s the plan.”
Nice to hear some ambition
This will go down well with the fanbase.
It is great to hear Hobbs saying that pushing for Europe will be the plan this season.
There is no reason why Wolves cannot do this. We saw last season the potential of this team. The players have fully bought into O’Neil, who has shown he can mastermind results against the best teams in the Premier League.
He got unlucky last term with the injuries, and several VAR decisions also went against Wolves.
Wolves have done some great business so far, and if the club can hand onto key players like Rayan Ait-Nouri, Joao Gomes and Neto, then European football could definitely be achievable.
It just refreshing to hear someone high up at Wolves actually openly talk about pushing for Europe.