Europe-bound Motherwell appoint little-known Swedish manager after putting faith in data again

Motherwell have announced the appointment of Alfred Johansson as their new manager, utilising the same data-driven recruitment strategy that brought his successful predecessor, Jens Berthel Askou, to Fir Park a year ago.

The 35-year-old Swede arrives after two and a half years as head coach of Norwegian club Rosenborg, a tenure that concluded last month following a challenging start to their current campaign.

Johansson steps into the role vacated by Askou, who was headhunted by Toulouse after guiding Motherwell to an impressive fourth-place finish in the Premiership during his fruitful first season, marked by an eye-catching brand of football.

Chairman Kyrk Macmillan explained the club's decision, stating on the Well website: "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."

He added: "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."

Macmillan further elaborated on Johansson’s selection: "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." The chairman also acknowledged the timing, noting: "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."