- Strand Larsen speaks on his January departure from Wolves
- Why Palace is the right club for him
- Quality of new teammates made Palace ideal destination
Crystal Palace club record signing Jørgen Strand Larsen has finally shed light on his departure from Wolverhampton Wanderers in January.
The £43.1 million signing spoke to Norwegian outlet VG (Via Express and Star) about the turbulent ending to his Wolves career and the pressure he was feeling from the outside.
“It (was) six months that were completely hopeless”, Strand Larsen said about the first half of the 2025/26 season. “It was very tough, mentally, physically, in every way.”
“I didn’t want it to end that way at Wolves, because it’s a fantastic club that I care about.”
The 6”4 striker scored fourteen goals and registered four assists in his first season at Molineux, sparking huge interest last Summer. The Midlands club rejected a bumper offer from Newcastle United, but after Wolves found themselves propping up the Premier League table, the January window provided the opportunity for him to get his move.
“I hoped things would change, but for me it was important to take a step forward.”
“When you have zero wins after half a season, there is of course a lot of pressure from outside. We footballers also put a lot of pressure on ourselves.”
“We have high expectations and everyone wants to take new steps and be ‘the main man’. Especially me, who didn’t quite get it. So, it was tough, but that’s in the past now.”
A Fresh Start for all Involved
A fresh start was not only necessary for Strand Larsen, but also for Palace, who were experiencing their own fallout with French striker Jean-Phillipe Mateta, who was pushing hard for a January exit to AC Milan.
An underlying knee issue meant that the move fell through, but Palace were still keen to freshen up their forward options, and outlayed a record expenditure on the 26-year-old.
There were times in the first half of the campaign when Strand Larsen was accused of seeming ‘disinterested’. He scored just once in 22 appearances, a huge fall from his brilliant output in the previous campaign.
Wolves fans were unhappy with his performances, and the feeling that he had ‘jumped ship’ amid their desperate performances only soured their opinions.
Of course, at times his performances were not meeting the standards, not just his own, but those the Wolves fans held him to. But it’s also fair to say that every single player in that squad fell short of the same standards, and to hold blame solely on one individual rather than the club as an entirety, would be naive.
Positivity of Palace move
Strand Larsen, however, is looking forward to the rest of his season in SE25:
“Palace suits me very well. It’s a style of play that suits me well. We have players who can put me in good situations, so I think it’s going to be very good.”
He was an instant hit at the South London club, making his debut away at the AMEX as Palace beat rivals Brighton and Hove Albion 1-0. Despite not scoring, his performance was one of a man clearly committed to the club.
Since his move, he’s scored three Premier League goals for Palace, including a brace on his Selhurst Park debut against Burnley.
Whilst his time at Wolves left a sour taste, the transfer was clearly for the best, and Palace fans will look forward to what he can bring to the club not only over the remainder of the season, but across the years to come.
