Jorgen Strand Larsen: The ray of sunshine lighting up a bleak season for Wolves
Winless Wolverhampton Wanderers sit bottom of the Premier League table right now.
There have been some passable displays, but the overall balance isn't there for Gary O'Neil's side and the picture is looking bleak.
The idea of relegation is some way off yet, but it has absolutely now started to enter the conversation.
If Wolves can take some consolation, it is that their 14 goals match the tally of Nottingham Forest in third spot, while there are just seven clubs who have scored more at this stage of the campaign.
One man they can thank for that is Jorgen Strand Larsen, who has pitched in with four goals and one assist.
If there was a way out of trouble for the Midlands club, it would likely be the Norwegian’s return of a goal contribution every other game so far.
If the 24-year-old is given more opportunities from his team-mates, some of those defeats and draws could become wins.
Jorgen Strand Larsen Transfer Value - how much is he worth?
According to our player valuation model, Strand Larsen has a current Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €24.5 million.
We have him ranked as the 5th in Most Valuable Norwegian Players, as well as 8th in Best Norwegian Players overall.
Strand Larsen joined Celta Vigo from Eredivisie club Groningen for €12.4m in the 2022/23 season.
Over the summer, he then moved to Wolves on an initial loan deal with an option to buy worth €27m.
What does Jorgen Larsen add to Wolves?
Strand Larsen began his career at Sarpsborg in his home nation of Norway.
His journey included a season on loan with AC Milan’s U-19 team before joining Groningen for €1.1m, where he spent two seasons. His performances caught the attention of Celta, who took him to Spain.
For the La Liga club, he played 74 games and scored 18 goals, 13 of which came last season (along with nine assists).
In recent seasons Wolves have struggled to find a consistent goalscorer with the physical presence to lead the line. Raul Jimenez once thrived in this role, but faced a major setback after his horrific injury in 2020.
Standing at 6’4”, Strand Larsen brings a commanding presence and the comparisons to Erling Haaland - at least where performances are concerned - are patently clear.
Naturally, he excels in physical duels and is able to hold up the ball and link up with team-mates.
His movement and timing in the final third give Wolves an edge, especially with his ability to make well-timed runs behind opposition defences. It's a dangerous combination to come up against.
And the wing-backs O'Neil deploys mean that defenders have to cover their tracks in covering floated balls into the box as well.
Wolves’ top scorers last season, Hwang Hee-chan and Matheus Cunha, are not outright centre-forwards. In fact, Cunha is being played out on the wing and in the No.10 role this season, and he is thriving.
Indeed, out of all the attacking players at Wolves, Larsen is the club's most traditional No.9, though he helps in the build-up phase as well.
Strand Larsen has shown some good leadership qualities, too. He said after the club's 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace last week: “We will, of course, continue with that spirit. I think the manager does it well, the staff, they're really positive at taking out good bits from every game.
"We just have to keep on working on what's good and not good enough."
In what has been a tough season for Wolves, Strand Larsen has provided some much needed positivity.
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