Jorgen Strand Larsen had a mixed time away from Crystal Palace at the World Cup.
The Crystal Palace No.22 will have been pleased to be involved in the Norway side who went further at a World Cup than any other, losing to England at the quarter-final stage. Previously, Norway had only gone as far as the Round of 16.
However, on a personal level, Strand Larsen struggled during his 105 minutes on the pitch, missing a penalty against France as Erling Haaland was understandably preferred to start most games.
Now, the former Celta Vigo striker might be feeling a bit disillusioned at Selhurst Park after Jean-Philippe Mateta was allegedly offered a new contract, according to Nicolo Schira.
Who is your DREAM signing? ⭐️
Jorgen Strand Larsen might now be questioning his move to Crystal Palace
Look at it this way. The Norwegian signed his four-and-a-half year contract with Crystal Palace back in February under the impression that Mateta had already left for AC Milan in a £30m move.
However, the Italian giants sent the France international back to SE25 after he failed a medical, leaving Crystal Palace in the unusual – and unexpected – position of having two marquee strikers fighting for one position.
Now, according to the aforementioned Schira, Mateta has been offered a new deal which would run until July 2030 if the Frenchman puts pen to paper.
The Crystal Palace No.14 is the talisman of this side and an incredibly popular figure, exemplified by how many players were involved in his trademark celebration after he netted that goal against Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig.
It means Strand Larsen – who knows our new signing Oscar Mingueza well – is likely to continue playing second fiddle to Mateta if he stays around under Pierre Sage, which is not what the Norwegian signed up for when sealing that £48m move from Wolves.
Nevertheless, competition for places in football is a good thing.
Strand Larsen should use this rumour as motivation to prove himself capable of being a talismanic figure for Crystal Palace even if Mateta – who said the situation is “not a bad thing” – does hang around for years to come.
The former Wolves star is only 26 – whereas Mateta is 29 – so he has time on his side to do exactly that.
What would YOU do with Mateta? 🇫🇷
If Mateta does stay at Selhurst Park, it will be fascinating to see how Sage handles this squad dynamic that nobody at Crystal Palace really envisaged happening back in January.
