It’s been a difficult couple of weeks for Wolves and Jorgen Strand Larsen, with transfer speculation around the Norwegian dominating the last weeks of the window.
The transfer deadline has passed, and thankfully, Jorgen Strand Larsen is still a Wolves player.
Newcastle went in hard for Strand Larsen in recent weeks, but after a lot of back-and-forth, a move never materialised.
As a result, Vitor Pereira can factor him into his season plans. But maybe not right away.
Jorgen Strand Larsen returns from international duty with Norway due to injury
Norway national team manager Ståle Solbakken has provided an update on Strand Larsen, and it’s not what Wolves fans will want to hear.
It reads: “Ståle Solbakken confirms that Jørgen Strand Larsen is leaving the national team.”
Strand Larsen has been dealing with Achilles pain since the Bournemouth game, which forced him out of last weekend’s loss to Everton.
Clearly, he thought recovery was going well as he jetted off to join his Norwegian teammates, but it would appear the injury is worse than previously thought.
Wolves have cover for Jorgen Strand Larsen in new signing Tolu Arokodare
Last week, hearing Strand Larsen is injured would have been enough to send Wolves fans into a frenzy.
It’s still not welcome news, but the arrival of Tolu Arokodare as backup striker eases the burden on Wolves’ main man.
Arokodare has admitted to similarities between Strand Larsen and himself, and the hope for Pereira is that he can deploy the same tactical approach with each of his centre-forwards.
There is almost two weeks of a break in which Strand Larsen could recover, but if he isn’t fit in time for the Newcastle game, it will be a good test of Arokodare’s Premier League readiness.