Motherwell's new signing Jardell Kanga announced his arrival with a dramatic stoppage-time screamer to clinch a 3-3 Premiership draw at St Mirren. The 20-year-old Swedish youth international, who signed for the club on Friday, revealed a late-night call from a former teammate was key to his move to Fir Park.
Kanga's path to Motherwell was smoothed by a surprise intervention from a familiar face in Finnish football. "Two weeks ago, my teammate from Ilves, Roope Riski, called me at 12 in the night," Kanga told The Scotsman. That conversation helped connect the dots for a player who had been on the radar of head of football Nick Daws and Swedish boss Alfred Johansson. Kanga had been playing alongside the 35-year-old Finnish international Roope Riski at Ilves before Riski's loan move to Oulu. Riski himself had a brief Scottish stint a decade ago with Dundee United.
Kanga's close friendship with another Swedish prospect, Amar Fatah, also provided a Scottish connection. Fatah spent last season on loan at Dundee United from French side Troyes and earned a permanent move to Serie A's Lecce based on his form at Tannadice. Motherwell's current league standing of sixth in the Premiership, with five points from three games and a recent form of DDW, shows a team finding its footing early in the campaign.
The match itself was a back-and-forth affair that saw both debutants make immediate impacts. While Kanga stole the headlines with his late equaliser, St Mirren also handed a first start to new signing Nikolas Agrafiotis. The Greek defender was only announced that morning and lasted an hour in the frantic encounter. Agrafiotis had previous experience in Germany's third tier with Wehen Wiesbaden and most recently played alongside Orestis Kiomourtzoglou. His move to Scotland came after recommendations from former Dutch striker Mark de Vries, who worked with him at FC Dordrecht, and ex-Excelsior boss Marinus Dijkhuizen, who also had a playing spell in Scotland.
"I've known for a few weeks. I've always had some interest from Scottish Football," Agrafiotis said about his move. Motherwell's defensive record this season shows four goals conceded alongside five scored, giving them a +1 goal difference after three matches. Their next challenge is a massive one, facing league leaders Celtic away on December 26th, a fixture detailed on our fixtures schedule.
The immediate impact of Kanga provides a significant boost to Motherwell's attacking options. His ability to change a game late on offers manager Alfred Johansson a different weapon as the season develops. The club's recruitment strategy, leveraging Scandinavian connections through Johansson and head of football Nick Daws, appears to have identified another promising talent. Kanga's existing relationship with Swedish youth international Amar Fatah suggests a network that could benefit the club in future windows.
Motherwell currently sit four points behind Celtic at the top of the table, a gap they'll look to address in the coming weeks. The team's early season statistics, including one win and two draws, are available in full on our stats page. Kanga's debut goal not only earned a point but immediately justified the club's decision to bring him in from the Finnish Veikkausliiga.
Attention now turns to integrating Kanga fully into the squad and preparing for the demanding schedule ahead. The draw at St Mirren keeps Motherwell in the top half of the table as they build momentum. With the Celtic fixture looming in late December, every point gathered before that clash takes on added importance. The club will hope Kanga's instant connection with the supporters is just the beginning of his contribution in claret and amber. His full player profile can be found on the official squad list.
Motherwell's next match is against the league leaders at Celtic Park on Boxing Day 2026.
