Crystal Palace have completed the signing of Jørgen Strand Larsen from Wolverhampton Wanderers, confirming the move on 2 February 2026 as the January transfer window closed. The deal is worth up to £48m — a fixed £43m plus £5m in potential add-ons — making the 25-year-old Norway international Palace's record signing, breaking the club's transfer record for the second time in the same window. Strand Larsen has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract at Selhurst Park.
Palace moved for Strand Larsen after a proposed deadline-day sale of Jean-Philippe Mateta to AC Milan fell through, leaving manager Oliver Glasner needing fresh options up front regardless. Strand Larsen fits the target-man profile Palace were short of: at 6ft 4in, he is strong in the air, comfortable holding the ball up with his back to goal, and a genuine threat from crosses and set pieces. Rather than simply replacing Mateta, he gives Glasner a second focal point who can play alongside him or lead the line on his own.
For Wolves, it is a significant loss on the pitch even if it eases pressure off it. Strand Larsen was the club's leading scorer last season, arriving from Celta Vigo in the summer of 2024 and immediately delivering 14 Premier League goals in 35 appearances in his first year at Molineux. Losing that firepower while the team sits bottom of the table is a real blow, but Wolves needed the income: Strand Larsen was one of several players sold in January, alongside Jhon Arias and Boubacar Traoré, as the club looks to balance its books and fund a rebuild.
His form immediately before the move told a different story to last season's numbers. Strand Larsen managed only one Premier League goal in his appearances this term before leaving, a sharp drop-off that reflects Wolves' wider struggles near the bottom of the table rather than a decline in the player himself — pundits including Jamie Carragher pointed to his 14 non-penalty goals the previous season as evidence he can still perform for a mid-table side with better service.
Palace wasted no time throwing him in. Strand Larsen made his debut in a 1–0 win away at Brighton on 8 February, playing the full match, and then scored twice on his home debut three days later against Burnley. It was an emphatic early return that will have encouraged Glasner that his new striker can adapt quickly to a Palace side built on organisation and directness under him.
How Strand Larsen and Mateta share the workload will be one of the more interesting subplots of Palace's season. Both are powerful, aerially dominant forwards rather than natural partners in a two-man strike force, so expect rotation rather than a settled front two in the short term — with Strand Larsen's hold-up play and heading ability offering a genuine alternative focal point when Palace need a different kind of threat in the box.