It’s set to be a massive season for Wolverhampton Wanderers this year.

Vitor Pereira took over a struggling relegation-threatened side from Gary O’Neil early last season and guided them to a 16th-place finish in the Premier League, 17 points away from the drop zone.

However, the next ten months could be even tougher for the Portuguese coach, as he’s already lost two of his best players in Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri.

Fortunately, Jørgen Strand Larsen’s stay has now been made permanent, and if reports are to be believed, the club is closing in on a striker who could be the next version of the Norwegian.

Wolves target the next Strand Larsen

It would be fair to say that with Cunha and Ait-Nouri leaving for other Premier League sides, this summer has not exactly gone the way many Wolves fans were hoping it would.

Transfer Focus

However, it’s not been all doom and gloom on the transfer front, as Jhon Arias and Fer Lopez have both made their way to Molineux and produced a combined 28 goal involvements last year, which is the sort of output that could help Pereira keep his side in the top-flight.

Moreover, the Old Gold appear determined to bring in some more new faces before the window slams shut next month, including a young forward who could be the next Strand Larsen.

At least that is according to a recent report from Sebastien Vidal, who claims that Wolves are very interested in David Datro Fofana.

In fact, the journalist has revealed that the West Midlands outfit have already approached Chelsea over the player and would be willing to pay £15m for his services, which could also be enough to seal the deal.

Now, there is undoubtedly a risk in signing a young player who hasn’t played that much football in recent seasons, but when he has played, he’s looked great, and on top of that, he shares some similarities with Strand Larsen.

Why Fofana could be the next Strand Larsen

It’s important to clarify that while we and many others believed Fofana to be an incredibly talented striker, he is three years younger than Strand Larsen, and therefore, it would be unfair to expect him to join Wolves this summer and instantly be as effective.

However, with that said, the two share some similarities, and there is no reason why the Ivorian couldn’t reach the level of the 25-year-old, or even surpass it, within a couple of seasons.

The first and most significant similarity between the pair is where they both started to make waves in senior football: Norway.

Before earning his move to Dutch side Groningen in September 2020, the Wolves star racked up a decent tally of nine goals and nine assists in 61 appearances for Norwegian outfit Sarpsborg 08.

Interestingly, the Ouragahio-born gem did even better than that during his time in the Nordic country, winning the league and cup while scoring 24 goals and providing eight assists in 65 appearances, totalling 3414 minutes.

Appearances

65

61

Minutes

3414′

3316′

Goals

24

9

Assists

8

9

Goal Involvements per Match

0.49

0.29

Minutes per Goal Involvement

106.68′

184.22′

That means the 22-year-old averaged a goal involvement every 2.03, or every 106.68 for Molde FK, and helps justify talent scout Jacek Kulig’s bold claim that he was “one of the biggest jewels in Norway.”

Unfortunately, his move to Chelsea in January 2023 hasn’t worked out for him, and while he impressed on loan with Burnley two seasons ago, scoring four goals and providing one assist in 15 Premier League appearances, his subsequent loan move to Goztepe was ruined by injury.

With all of that said, it is clear that the “outstanding” forward, as dubbed by former Clarets boss Vincent Kompany, is an incredibly talented player, and in the right environment, if he can remain fit, there is no reason his career couldn’t follow the same path as Strand Larsen’s.

Therefore, Wolves should do what they can to bring Fofana in this summer, as even if he only scores a handful of goals this season, that could be the difference between survival and relegation.

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