When you carry a £48 million tag on your back, then expectations are set. Crystal Palace forked out this amount in a most expensive signing-ever for Jørgen Strand Larsen, Palace desperately needed an energy injection in their attack. The Norwegian international has shown he can handle the enormous pressure of being measured on everything he does against the price tag.
Premier League legend Glen Hoddle had to point to Harry Kane to describe how raw Jørgen Strand Larsen’s goal was against Shakhtar Donetsk in the first semi-final match of the Conference League. There was little doubt about who deserved the award for Goal of the Month at Crystal Palace.
The BBC praised Strand Larsen for meeting the extreme expectations that come with a £48m striker: “Being a club’s record signing comes with a certain amount of pressure. Some players rise to cope with it, while others struggle. His fourth goal could arguably be his most important, as he created a magical moment that gave Palace a 3-1 lead,” the state channel wrote after the Norwegian countryman’s Conference League goal. Football legend and former England national team coach, Glen Hoddle, used Harry Kane to describe Strand Larsen’s performance in the away game against Shakhtar.
-We weren’t sure if he had this touch, and that’s what’s impressive. The calm and then to knock it into the corner. If it was Harry Kane who scored that goal, we would all say ‘wow, what a beautiful goal’,” Glenn Hoddle boasted on TNT Sports.
This week it was Crystal Palace’s turn to pay tribute to Strand Larsen, the goal was named April’s best (and most important):
