Wolves have made Norwegian international striker Jorgen Strand Larsen the latest addition to Gary O’Neil’s squad on a season-long loan deal.
The 24-year-old arrived in Wolverhampton to complete his medical at Compton Park on Monday and finalised a loan move from Celta Vigo which will automatically become permanent until 2029 should certain clauses be triggered.
The 6ft 4in forward, who has been capped 14 times by his country, moves to Molineux on the back of an outstanding season in La Liga where he finished the campaign as Celta’s leading scorer, hitting a total of 13 goals in the Spanish top flight.
Strand Larsen has developed during the last two seasons in Spain, but started out in his home nation, with Sarpsborg 08 having taken him from Kvik Halden as a youngster. During this time, he was an all-round sportsman, having shown a keen interest in tennis, ice hockey and golf.
But football was where his future lied, and the striker progressed into the Sarpsborg senior side in May 2017, and scored his first senior hat-trick in a 10-1 NM Cup win over Drobak-Frogn, before undertaking a youth loan spell with AC Milan during the subsequent season.
Let's gø! 🇳🇴 pic.twitter.com/9y474eCyZl
— Wolves (@Wolves) July 2, 2024
Following his return to Sarpsborg, Strand Larsen was a regular part of the side for two years before earning a move to Dutch outfit Groningen. On his Eredivisie debut, he clamed an assist against PSV, and ended the 2021/22 campaign with 17 goals in league and cup.
Just three months after being named as Groningen’s Player of the Year in May 2022, he was on the move to La Liga, getting off to another positive start with Celta by contributing an assist on his debut in a 3-0 win over Cadiz.
Throughout his career, Strand Larsen has been a regular among the Norwegian international age groups, lifting the Syrenka Cup with Norway’s under-17s in 2016. With almost 70 appearances for his country from under-16 to under-21 level, Strand Larsen earned his first senior cap in November 2020, starting a 1-1 UEFA Nations League draw with Austria.
He has since become a regular in the national team, having made every squad since September 2022, and found the net in friendlies against Jodan and the Faroe Islands, as well as scoring and assisting in Norway’s 3-3 thriller against Scotland in Euro 2024 qualification last year.
After featuring for his country this summer in a 3-0 friendly win over Kosovo, Strand Larsen is now set to make Molineux his new home and will join up with O’Neil’s squad when pre-season training gets underway later this week.
Sporting director Matt Hobbs said: “Everyone knows that bringing in a number nine was really important to us this summer, and Jorgen was our number one target for the position, so we are really pleased to have signed him.
“He’s a great guy, who’s got a really good charisma and a great personality, and although he’s still young, still learning and still developing, he’s shown that he can score goals, and puts a lot of work and running in for the rest of the team. We talk a lot about humility at this football club, and he fits that perfectly.
“In Jorgen, we’re getting a guy whose career is on the way up and we hope to keep helping him improve and develop so he can get to the levels we think he can reach.”
