Jorgen Strand Larsen signs new contract just 12 WEEKS after putting pen to paper on former deal with Wolves - as Molineux club sets a statement of intent for their star striker
Jorgen Strand Larsen has signed a new five-year contract with Wolves.
Strand Larsen was the subject of two bids from Newcastle during the summer and told the club he wanted to speak to Eddie Howe's side.
But Wolves resisted and have now handed the Norwegian a significant pay rise and a deal that is also designed to protect his value.
Having sold Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri this summer, and seen Nelson Semedo leave on a free transfer, Wolves decided they could allow another key player to depart - especially their main remaining source of goals.
Boss Vitor Pereira also signed a new deal this week, designed to keep him at Molineux until 2028.
He said: 'This is someone that has true character,' Pereira said of Larsen. He's not an actor, he has a good spirit.
'I really believe if he didn't have this Achilles injury, he was in the condition to help us, because this is not the kind of player to stop training. This is not his spirit.'
Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen has signed a new and improved five-year deal at the club
Newcastle had two bids rejected for Strand Larsen and ended up signing Nick Woltemade (right) in a club record deal
Wolves hope the Norwegian, 25, can find the form he displayed last year as they currently sit 20th with no points after four games.
Strand Larsen hit 14 Premier League goals last campaign as the Midlands side completed a great escape under manager Pereira.
'I've been incredibly happy here at Wolves,' Strand Larsen told the club website. 'Signing a new deal shows that my commitment is here, I'm happy here, I love all my friends and teammates, the fans are amazing, and we just want to make it a better season than last year.
'I've signed a new deal, more years at Wolves, which is perfect for me – the club's happy, I'm happy myself, so I'm ready to get back on the pitch now. The most important thing for me is to come back to the pitch and for us to start winning and get out of the bad start we had.
'Everyone knows how happy I am when I'm on the pitch, scoring goals. As players we need to build a strong team and a good atmosphere to make sure we have the whole city and ground with us every time we play at Molineux.'
Wolves hope the Norwegian, 25, can find the form he displayed last year as they currently sit 20th with no points after four games.
Strand Larsen hit 14 Premier League goals last campaign as the Midlands side completed a great escape under manager Vitor Pereira.
The striker is still waiting for his first Premier League goal this season, but may not get the chance to break his duck when Wolves host Leeds United on Saturday.
Manager Vitor Pereira has also signed a new deal and is delighted his striker has joined him by committing his future to Wolves
Strand Larsen is currently out with an achilles problem and will miss the Leeds match this weekend
That's because he has injured his Achilles tendon, an issue that has caused him to miss their two recent league fixtures against Everton and Newcastle.
Pereira has urged 'patience' with the striker as he gets back to full fitness but fans will understandably be eager to have him back sooner rather than later.
Strand Larsen's existing deal is not about to run out any time soon. After joining on an initial loan deal from Celta Vigo last year, his move became permanent for around £23million after clauses were met, and he is locked in until 2029.
A new deal, then, may be more about pay and reflecting his status at the club as they seek to avoid his head being turned elsewhere.
The upcoming period will be pivotal for Wolves. They play all three of the newly promoted clubs in their next five games, as well as Tottenham and Brighton, meaning we may go into November with a decent indication of where they will end up.
Of course, last season showed that they can wriggle out of difficult circumstances.
Pereira replaced Gary O'Neil in December with Wolves sat 19th and four points from safety, having won just two of their first 16 games.
By the end of the campaign, Wolves finished 16th, 17 points clear of the drop zone. His record spoke for itself - 10 wins and three draws in 22 games, a rate of points-scoring which would have been good enough for the top half across the entire season.
