Jorgen Strand Larsen injury status confirmed ahead of Newcastle showdown
Wolves boss Vitor Pereira has confirmed whether Jorgen Strand Larsen will be fit to play against Newcastle this weekend after he was close to joining them during the summer window.
Jorgen Strand Larsen‘s future at Wolves was up in the air towards the end of the summer as Newcastle tried to coax him to St James’ Park to bolster their striker depth.
Newcastle were in need of new additions in attack with Alexander Isak demanding a move away from Tyneside, and while they signed Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart for a club-record fee, another arrival was expected before the deadline as the identified the Norway striker as a main target.
Football Insider revealed on 30 August that Wolves would demand close to £60million to sell Strand Larsen so late in the window, and Newcastle then saw a £55m bid for his services rejected after initially trying to sign him for £50m.
He then went on to agree personal terms with the Magpies and wanted to make the move, but Wolves were not planning to sell Strand Larsen for any price, as revealed by Football Insider, and he remained at the club past the deadline.
The Norway international recently withdrew from international duty with Norway after missing Wolves’ last game against Everton with an achilles injury, and his availability for Vitor Pereira‘s side’s trip to St James’ Park on Saturday (13 September) has now been revealed.
Jorgen Strand Larsen is not fit to play against Newcastle
Many fans speculated that Strand Larsen’s absence against Everton was due to his ongoing Newcastle transfer saga, but it seems that was not the case with his achilles issue now deemed worse than it was originally believed to be.
Wolves boss Pereira confirmed in his pre-Newcastle press conference (via Liam Keen on X, 12 September) that the 25-year-old remains sidelined due to the problem, saying: “We are without Larsen, the injury was a bit more serious and he’s trying to come back. We want him back as soon as possible, but he’s not training yet.”
It certainly looks as if he could not only be out for this weekend’s game, but also for upcoming matches against the likes of Leeds and Everton, which are must-wins for the Molineux outfit as they battle for success on all fronts this season.
Wolves need to tie Strand Larsen down to a new contract as soon as possible
Wolves have struggled to score goals over the last few seasons, and losing Strand Larsen late in the summer window would very clearly have been catastrophic to their chances of survival this season.
The Norway international netted 14 times in 34 Premier League appearances last season after he had joined on loan from Celta Vigo, with his move then only becoming permanent after the campaign had ended.
A recent report from The Telegraph revealed that Wolves have opened contract talks with Strand Larsen and they do not anticipate any problems in him signing his new deal within the next few weeks.
Keeping him in the summer was a big signal of their intent going forward under Pereira, and now the fact that he is set to sign fresh terms will provide a huge boost to their aims of, not only survival this term, but kicking on to bigger things in the future.
For now, though, they need him back fit quickly, as even though new signing Tolu Arokodare has been backed to emulate his Wolves success, Strand Larsen will remain as Pereira’s go-to man for goals this season when he is ready to play.