Credit: Manh Tung, Breaking Media

Evan Lloyd

Sun 17 May 2026 13:08, UK

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Jens Berthel Askou has enjoyed a historic first season in charge of Motherwell and has attracted the attention of Celtic.

The Dane led the Steelmen to fourth in the Scottish Premiership, confirming qualification to the Conference League with a 1-0 win away at Hibernian on Saturday.

Celtic lifted the title but are set to be without a manager in the coming days, as Martin O’Neill concludes his return as interim manager.

The Hoops are under pressure to get their next appointment right after the disastrous month under Wilfried Nancy.

Celtic’s next manager must be ready to respond to the pressure at Parkhead, as the Scottish champions look to make their mark in Europe once again.

Jens Berthel Askou secures historic Motherwell first

Football Insider exclusively revealed in March that Askou is high on Celtic’s list of candidates this summer, and it is easy to see why.

The 43-year-old has transformed Motherwell into a defensive powerhouse, earning them their highest league finish since the 2019-20 season.

It has been a sudden rise for the Dane, who had previously experienced his best stint of senior management in the Faroe Islands.

Until last summer, Askou was still an assistant manager, spending a year in roles with Sparta Prague and Copenhagen before he was appointed by Motherwell.

The 43-year-old was highly rated, but decision-makers at Fir Park surely would never have imagined that they would have enjoyed such a successful season.

Not only has the Motherwell manager produced the best league finish since 2020, but his team have also produced their highest points tally since the 2013-14 campaign.

And there’s more. Remarkably, the Steelmen’s +23 goal difference is the best they have recorded since 1984-85, with the same year marking the last time they conceded less than 36 goals in a league season.

Askou’s latest on his future

It is no surprise to see Askou linked away from Motherwell after a debut season quite so extraordinary.

The Dane is among the hottest topics in Scotland right now, but he will be in no rush to make a decision on his future.

Having led Motherwell to the Conference League, it may well be that the manager would like to lead his team into Europe before stepping away.

“I’m focused on enjoying this moment,” he said when asked about his future on Saturday. “Look, we all know when a team is extremely successful, then it’s very rare that you see the exact group coming back after the holiday.

“There will be people moving on, especially the players, they will move on and time will tell what group will attack the next season.

“But no matter what, the club knows which direction we are going in and has had a very important proof this season that we can do something differently.”