Alfred Johansson appointed Motherwell manager as club trust the data again

Motherwell have appointed former Rosenborg head coach Alfred Johansson as their new manager using the same data-driven process that brought previous boss Jens Berthel Askou to the club a year ago.

The 35-year-old Swede has spent the past two and a half years in charge of the Norwegian club before being sacked last month after a poor start to the current campaign.

Johansson replaces Askou, who was headhunted by Toulouse after a fruitful first campaign at Fir Park in which he led Well to fourth place in the Premiership while playing an eye-catching brand of football.

“Following the same data-driven process that we undertook to appoint the previous two managers of the football club (Michael Wimmer and Askou), we believe Alfred is an excellent fit here at Motherwell,” chairman Kyrk Macmillan told the Well website.

“The data plays a key role to ensure the game model aligns with how we want to play and continues our evolution, but the process is also blended with ensuring we bring good people to the club.

“We met with Alfred on a number of occasions, and he stood out as the best candidate to continue our journey at the club.

“There is a strong belief that Alfred has the correct characteristics to lead and deliver on his ideas. He is a determined and ambitious young manager who wants to continue the success we had last season.

“It was important for the squad that we completed our detailed process of recruiting a new manager, but we were also conscious of time. With the players back in for pre-season this week, Alfred can begin working with his new squad ahead of a busy and exciting period for the football club.”

Johansson did not play professionally but was appointed by Rosenborg in December 2023, aged 33, after beginning his coaching career in his 20s as a youth coach with Swedish clubs Enkopings and Djurgardens before holding more prominent roles in the academies of AIK and Danish club Copenhagen.

The Swede oversaw fourth and seventh-placed finishes in his two full seasons in charge of Rosenborg before being sacked in May as they languished near the bottom of the table following a poor start.

Johansson’s first competitive match in charge will be a Conference League second qualifying round tie against Havnar Boltfelag of the Faroe Islands next month.

“This is a huge honour for me,” he said. “To work at this football club and to lead is a privilege. I’ve analysed the club closely, and the direction that it’s going in is of huge importance to me.

“Last season was hugely successful, and I want to be able to carry this success forward. The squad of players we have is exciting, and we will get to work straight away.

“There is no time to waste with European football next month and the league season starting in a few weeks.”