Jørgen Strand Larsen has experienced a remarkable 2026, moving from Wolves to Crystal Palace, helping the Eagles win the Conference League and reaching the World Cup quarter-finals with Norway. After a demanding summer, the striker returned to Selhurst Park determined to make a strong impact in his first full campaign with the club.
Strand Larsen joined Palace as their record signing on February’s transfer deadline day. His semi-final goal against Shakhtar proved crucial on the route to the trophy in Leipzig and was later recognised as Palace’s Goal of the Season. He has carried that momentum into 2026/27, scoring four times in his first seven appearances.
The Norway international has also been encouraged by the progress made under Palace’s new manager. He described the coaching as clear and demanding, while believing the squad is steadily developing its approach after only a short period working together. Strand Larsen feels the team already has the character to compete in every match, building on the confidence created by last season’s silverware.
Palace have added significant competition across the squad, including in attack, where Strand Larsen is competing with Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eddie Nketiah for opportunities. He is familiar with that challenge from international football, where he shares the forward line with Erling Haaland. The pair have known each other since Norway’s youth teams and remain close friends.
The 26-year-old has acknowledged that last season’s long schedule and the demands of moving clubs midway through the campaign made consistency difficult. Rather than dwell on that, he wants to play with greater aggression, attack space more frequently and show the instincts that have made him an effective centre-forward.
Strand Larsen is not placing a fixed number on his target for the season, but he does want to better his previous Premier League return of 14 goals and improve on last term. His priority, however, is collective: he believes personal goals will follow if he and Palace perform well, with the main objective being to help the Eagles win.
