Jorgen Strand Larsen handed West Ham alternative as Premier League rivals enter race

Crystal Palace are among the clubs interested in signing Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen, talkSPORT understands.

Wolves are open to offers for Strand-Larsen in January and the Norwegian is also wanted by West Ham.

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Strand Larsen would provide immediate competition for Eagles striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who has seven league goals to his name this term.

Palace’s interest in Strand Larsen comes days after Eagles manager Oliver Glasner stated it was ‘pretty clear’ where his side needed strengthening in the January transfer market.

“Again, I think, to be honest, if you watch our game today, it’s pretty clear what we need and that it’s a decision of Crystal Palace [transfers],” Glasner said following his side’s 1-0 loss to Tottenham on Sunday.

“If you’re constantly underperforming in scoring goals… Yeah.”

The Eagles have already taken steps to address that as they agreed a fee with Tottenham for Brennan Johnson, although the deal is far from complete.

At present, Palace are the most underperforming team in the Premier League this term when it comes to expected goals (xG).

The Eagles have scored 21 goals but per Opta, they boast an xG of 29.55

The -8.55 differential between actual goals scored and xG is the worst in the league.

It hasn’t been helped by the fact Mateta boasts an individual xG of 10.37 but has only scored seven times in league action, making his -3.37 differential the highest in the top flight.

Strand Larsen hasn’t had much to crow about in terms of goals this term, netting just once from 16 league fixtures.

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However, the Norwegian’s struggles up top has been emblematic of Wolves’ woes as a whole this term.

The Black Country outfit sit rooted to the bottom of the table with just three points after 19 games.

Rob Edwards’ side are yet to win a match, holding a record of three draws and 16 defeats.

With Wolves 15 points from safety at the halfway point of the season, a sale of Strand Larsen could indicate they are already preparing for Championship football next term.

Although West Ham are alongside Wolves in the relegation zone, they sit on 14 points and are just four points away from 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.

The addition of Strand Larsen would add some much-needed firepower in east London given the Hammers have allowed Niclas Fullkrug to join AC Milan on loan for the rest of the season.

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Callum Wilson and Jarrod Bowen, who is a right-winger by trade, have shared the striker role for the Hammers since Nuno’s appointment.

However, Strand Larsen’s arrival would ease the load on the duo.

Another element of the pursuit is that Strand Larsen is already acclimated to the Premier League having joined Wolves in the summer of 2024.

In his first season at Molineux, the Norwegian scored 14 times in 35 appearances as Wolves finished 16th.