The £60 million valuation put on Jorgen Strand Larsen by Wolves raised some eyebrows, but the numbers back up his value.
Newcastle were aggressively pursuing Jorgen Strand Larsen in the final weeks of the window.
Wolves put a £60 million price on the Norwegian, though the stance of the club was always ‘not for sale’.
Strand Larsen is a key player for Vitor Pereira, and despite joining the club for just over £23 million, the valuation more than doubling isn’t as far-fetched as it seems.
Jorgen Strand Larsen’s stats are elite for a Premier League striker
The Athletic did a deep dive on Strand Larsen, where they analysed his playstyle and used his numbers from last season to create a profile.
Strand Larsen scored 14 goals in his debut season in the Premier League. He overperformed his xG by 3.7 goals and had the best shots-on-target ratio in the whole league, with 61% accuracy.
That may have been helped by his elite movement, which saw him average a shot distance of 11.3 yards. For comparison, Erling Haaland, known for his ability to find openings in the box, averaged out at 12.3 yards.
He also ranks second in the league for goals per shot (.26), showing he doesn’t just find opportunities, he’s clinical with them, too.
Jorgen Strand Larsen is matching the league’s best strikers playing in a lesser side
Few would have expected such an impressive debut season from the Wolves striker, but when you look at his track record, he’s a guaranteed goalscorer.
Strand Larsen has been this effective in three leagues, scoring 14 in 32 for Groningen, 13 in 37 for Celta Vigo, and 14 again for Wolves last season.
When you look at some of the fees commanded by young strikers this summer, who are still unproven in England, £60 million starts to make sense.
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Now that Wolves have held onto their star forward, they must ensure they get the best out of him. Pereira is clearly attempting to do so, with Wolves sending more crosses into the box (12) than any other side this season.
Stats like these aren’t the only determinant of success, but they certainly point to it. We can expect another prolific season from Strand Larsen, and we can also expect renewed interest from the big clubs next summer.