Ranking Jorgen Strand Larsen’s next club options as Leeds fall behind in transfer chase | OneFootball

Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen is the subject of a transfer battle involving around 10 teams and is fast becoming one of the big stories heading into the latter stages of the January transfer window.

Wolves did well to keep Strand Larsen in the summer, resisting interest from Newcastle United and signing him to a new contract just a few months after making his move from Celta Vigo permanent. However, things have taken a turn for the worse for both club and player; Wolves are rock bottom in the Premier League, which Strand Larsen has only scored once in all season.

Nevertheless, the Norway international is still of interest to an abundance of teams. For example, TEAMtalk recently revealed that Leeds United were making an enquiry – news since confirmed by the likes of David Ornstein.

But sources insist there are as many as a dozen teams in the race for Strand Larsen, who turns 26 in February and should be approaching the prime of his career. Wolves now value him at £40m.

There is interest from the Bundesliga, while over in Serie A, Juventus have backed off. Regardless, staying in the Premier League is deemed the most likely option for him.

So, if he moves from Molineux, where should he go? We’ve ranked his known Premier League suitors in order of what would be the best move for him.

Crystal Palace

It’s all change at Crystal Palace at the moment, with captain Marc Guehi having gone to Manchester City, manager Oliver Glasner confirming he’ll be leaving at the end of the season and main goalscorer Jean-Philippe Mateta telling the club he also wants out.

If Mateta gets his wish, Palace will have a vacancy up front that Strand Larsen could fill.

In his previous job, Palace’s director of football, Matt Hobbs, was involved in Strand Larsen’s arrival at Wolves, which he could look to replicate.

It was only last season that Palace were winning the FA Cup and qualifying for Europe in the process, so as long as they get their replacements right for key figures, they could still be an attractive destination.

Leeds United

Leeds made an approach for Strand Larsen recently, instigated by their recent switch to a 3-5-2 formation.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been in promising form since his free move from Everton in the summer, but that hasn’t stopped Leeds looking into what could be a club-record swoop for Strand Larsen – whose agent happens to have a season ticket at Elland Road.

Having another out-and-out striker next to Calvert-Lewin could help Leeds continue their climb away from the relegation zone. Crucially, Strand Larsen often played in a strike partnership during his time in Spain with Celta.

Nottingham Forest

Forest recently offloaded Arnaud Kalimuendo on loan to Eintracht Frankfurt after just half a season – and he has already done what he couldn’t in England by scoring a league goal.

There could now be space for a new striker to join the ranks, especially with Chris Wood out injured.

But there has been a high turnover of players at the City Ground in recent years, so Strand Larsen would have to be careful not to get caught up in it.

Everton

Of the teams currently outside the relegation zone, only Sunderland, Palace and Forest have scored fewer goals this season than Everton.

Thierno Barry has taken his time to acclimatise to Premier League football, while Beto could soon become a candidate to leave.

A reliable striker could make a difference for Everton, but there may be question marks over whether Strand Larsen meets that description.

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Fulham

With Rodrigo Muniz expected to be injured for another month, Fulham have been doing work on their attacking options, mainly focusing on Ricardo Pepi from PSV.

But Strand Larsen is someone else that has registered on their radar and it might be the type of transfer coup to keep Marco Silva happy after the manager emerged from the summer window as a frustrated figure.

Fulham tend to operate with a lone striker, which Strand Larsen could be a decent fit for as a target man.

Tottenham Hotspur

Richarlison’s recent injury, just after Dominic Solanke returned from his own absence, has heightened the existing need for Tottenham to reinforce their attack.

That isn’t just limited to the centre-forward position – left wing is more of a priority – but it is somewhere they could consider upgrading, with Randal Kolo Muani struggling for consistency as well during his loan spell from Paris Saint-Germain, a deal that looks unlikely to become permanent.

There would be pressure on Strand Larsen to step up quickly at Spurs and it could knock his confidence if he wasn’t able to.

Aston Villa

Following Donyell Malen’s exit, Aston Villa have been seeking fresh competition for Ollie Watkins up front, with the likes of Tammy Abraham, Mateta and Youssef En-Nesyri under consideration.

Strand Larsen is another option and would represent a different kind of profile than Watkins – but you would suspect the current Villa frontman would remain the first choice.

One factor to consider is that geographically, Villa are the closest club to Wolves in the Premier League, so Strand Larsen wouldn’t have to uproot to go there.

Newcastle United

Newcastle were the most serious bidders for Strand Larsen in the summer, reportedly going as far as £55m with their offers.

Ultimately, they replaced Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson with Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa, but the price drop for Strand Larsen could be somewhat tempting – especially if Woltemade, who has started his Premier League career well, becomes a no. 10 in the future.

His best form so far has come up front, though, and Wissa is back in action and among the goals after his injury, so Newcastle shouldn’t be Strand Larsen’s priority choice anymore.

West Ham United

West Ham were one of the first clubs to firm up interest in Strand Larsen ahead of the January transfer window, but they have since signed two other strikers in the shape of Taty Castellanos and Pablo.

While neither of those names are guaranteed to get them the goals they need, a decision has been made to keep Wilson on the books as well.

Therefore, competition for places in the Hammers’ frontline is stacking up – and besides, even if he was to throw himself into that mix too, Strand Larsen would merely be walking out of one relegation battle and into another.