Askou Leaves Motherwell for Toulouse After Fourth-Place Finish

Jens Berthel Askou has left Motherwell to become head coach of Toulouse, ending a brief spell that began last summer and finished with a fourth-placed Scottish Premiership finish. The move sends the 43-year-old to a 10th-placed Ligue 1 club and leaves Motherwell to move on after securing European football last Saturday.

Motherwell agreed a compensation package with Toulouse for his departure. Askou will replace Carles Martinez Novell, whose three-year reign at Toulouse will end at the conclusion of this season.

Askou’s Motherwell Return

Askou’s time in charge delivered a sharp turnaround in results. Motherwell ended the season with their fewest top-flight losses since 1959, the second-best defensive record in their top-tier history and a new club clean-sheet record. They sealed fourth place by beating Hibernian last Saturday, a result that also locked in European football.

His final message pointed to how much of that work depended on the people around him. Askou said, "grateful is the best word to describe" his Motherwell tenure and called the year "an amazing journey," adding that the "buy-in and support from players, staff, board members, volunteers and supporters have been invaluable for me to lead the development of the club."

Toulouse Turnover

The timing of the move gives Toulouse a change at the top before the season has even ended. They sit 10th in Ligue 1, and Novell’s exit will come only when his three-year spell closes at the end of this season.

Askou framed the decision as a rare opening in a short career window. "Special opportunities come rare in football," he said. "And you don't know when they present themselves." He added, "So sometimes you have to leave great things behind to create new ones no matter how hard it is." For Motherwell, the immediate task is replacing a manager who delivered fourth place, European football and a club defensive standard that had not been matched in decades.