Middlesbrough supporters will cringe at Wolves development - He was desperate to complete £10m Boro move | OneFootball

Jorgen Strand Larsen has made his move to Molineux a permanent one - how Middlesbrough will wish they could turn back the clock to 2022...

Jorgen Strand Larsen has just become a permanent Wolverhampton Wanderers player - how Middlesbrough will wish they could turn back the clock to the summer of 2022.

This was a time of real optimism on Teesside.

Middlesbrough had put behind them their dance with relegation in the 2019/20 season, which saw Neil Warnock adopt the role of firefighter to successfully steer the club to a 17th-placed finish, before climbing the Championship table to finish 10th the following campaign.

The club would continue on their upward trajectory in 2021/22, with Chris Wilder leading the club to seventh, missing out on the play-offs by just five points.

As such, heading into the summer transfer window of 2022, there was a real sense among Boro fans that should the club conduct some shrewd business and make some impactful additions, they would have a squad that could finally be capable of ending their five-year Premier League exile at the time.

Middlesbrough came agonisingly close to signing Jorgen Strand Larsen - he begged for Boro move

If Boro were going to achieve their promotion aims in 22/23, then bolstering their firepower in attack was going to be a priority that summer.

After all, attacking midfielder Matt Crooks was crowned as the club's top scorer the season prior with 10 goals, and with loanees in the shape of Andraz Sporar, Folarin Balogun and Aaron Connolly all returning to their parent clubs at the time, Wilder's cutting edge had been blunted further.

Over in the Dutch Eredivisie, there was a big and young centre-forward beginning to make quite a name for himself: Jorgen Strand Larsen, and word of his exploits had reached Teesside.

Wilder confirmed in early August that Middlesbrough had indeed submitted an offer to Groningen for the Norwegian striker, and was clearly hopeful the two clubs would come to an agreement.

Teessiders are used to players not wanting to move to the North East of England, so when Strand Larsen himself gave the first of a number of interviews, making it very clear to the Groningen hierarchy that he wanted a Riverside move, Boro fans instantly began demanding his signature.

However, as August rolled on, nothing was agreed, with Middlesbrough being knocked back on two occasions for the striker, with their highest bid being in the £10m region.

Groningen, however, wanted closer to £12.5m for their prolific young hitman, who'd just hit 17 goals in 35 total appearances for them in 21/22.

Once again, the then-22-year-old let his club's decision makers know he didn't appreciate them standing in his way of a move to Teesside.

"The club does not want to sell me. It is tough and heavy. I don't want to make a fuss about pushing through a transfer, but I was hoping they could have sold me by now. Football is fresh and many clubs are interested," he told Eurosport Norway via TeessideLive.

"It is frustrating that they are holding on to me and that they are not helpful in this situation. And the club has heard from me that I am disappointed with them. They are taking away from me an opportunity to move on. The club did not deliver well enough last year and see me as an important player this year.

"They push the price up as far as they can until it becomes completely ridiculous. It's boring and frustrating when they sweep away several clubs. I feel like I'm fighting a battle against a wall.

"It is frustrating that the club will ask for so much money for me. In a normal setting, they would have accepted the offer from Middlesbrough, but the club does not need money.

"Middlesbrough will fight at the top of the Championship and seem very interested in me. In addition, English football is exciting, with everything that goes with it. Had the club accepted an offer from them, I could quickly go there."

Strand Larsen gets two quickfire big-money moves, and leaves Middlesbrough wondering: 'what if'?

Middlesbrough were unwilling to meet the price tag to rescue their Rapunzel in Groningen's tower, however, but there was a club who was.

Spanish La Liga side Celta Vigo swooped in to secure his services in late August, ending the 'will he/won't he?' saga that had gripped Boro fans throughout that month.

However, after just two seasons in Spain, scoring 18 times in 74 appearances, Strand Larsen would finally get his dream Premier League move, as Wolves secured a season-long loan deal to bring him to Molineux last summer.

Crucially, his temporary switch to Wolves would become a permanent one until 2029 this summer for a fee of £23m if certain clauses were triggered, and evidently, they were.

That's because Wolves announced via their club website on 1 July, that the now 25-year-old has become a permanent part of the furniture at the club.

He enjoyed a superb debut season with Wanderers last term, bagging 14 goals in 35 Premier League outings, breaking the club record for the most goals scored by a Wolves top flight debutant in the process.

Middlesbrough came so close to landing his signature three summers ago, and given what he's achieved with Celta Vigo and now Wolves, he may well have been the man to fire Boro to the Premier League - the Teessiders finished fourth in 22/23, losing in the play-off semi-finals to Coventry City.

At the very least, he surely would've shown his class in the Championship, and bankrolled the club with major profits despite the hefty fee they would've paid Groningen for his services.

Therefore, there will always be a feeling on Teesside that he really was one that got away, despite making no secret of the fact he would've jumped at the chance to call the Riverside Stadium his home.