Motherwell has appointed Alfred Johansson as the new manager, succeeding Jens Berthel Askou. The 35-year-old Swede aims to build on the success of last season at Fir Park.

Who is Johansson?

Johansson spent two-and-a-half years in charge of Rosenborg in Norway before being sacked in May. He has a degree in sports science and completed a postgraduate course in high-performance football coaching in Lisbon.

What's next for Motherwell?

Motherwell picked up 61 points in Askou's one league campaign in Scotland, winning 16 of their 38 games. They meet Havnar Boltfelag of the Faroe Islands in the Conference League second qualifying round first leg on 23 July. The current league standing is: | Stat | Value | | --- | --- | | League standing | 4th in Premiership | | Points | 54 | | Recent form | WLDLW | | Goals this season | 52 scored, 29 conceded | | Title race | 16 points behind leaders Heart Of Midlothian | Johansson will look to continue this success, with the squad's recent form being 2W-1D-2L. He used a 4-3-3 system in Norway and helped develop young players like Sverre Nypan and Marius Broholm.

Analysis: Tough act to follow

Askou has left big shoes to fill, with Motherwell losing their fewest number of top-flight games since 1959. Compensation was paid to Toulouse for Askou's departure. Johansson has analyzed the club closely and wants to carry the success forward. The squad of players is exciting, and they will get to work straight away. Former Raith Rovers player Kevin Nicol believes Johansson is a young coach who can handle the pressure. However, Nicol also thinks that Johansson needs to show strength and get the players behind him. Motherwell's last result was a 1-0 win against Hibernian on 2026-05-16. With the new manager in place, Motherwell is looking to build on their current success and make a strong push in the Scottish Premiership.