Ligue 1: Danish Jens Berthel Askou appointed as Toulouse coach

Jens Berthel Askou to Replace Carles Martinez Novell at Toulouse

The Danish coach, currently at Motherwell (Scotland), will succeed the Spanish Carles Martinez Novell at Toulouse, according to a statement from the club.

At 43 years old, he led his club to fourth place in the Scottish league this season and has committed to TFC for an undisclosed duration, along with the transfer fee from his Scottish club.

Jens Berthel Askou Qualified Motherwell for European Competition

Prior to this, the former central defender had coached in Denmark and the Faroe Islands, winning the double with HB Torshavn in 2020. He was an assistant at Sparta Prague (Czech Republic) and FC Copenhagen before becoming head coach at IFK Goteborg in Sweden, then joining Motherwell and qualifying them for a European competition (conference league playoffs).

This performance impressed Toulouse officials who had been searching for a coach “capable of overperforming,” as stated by sports director Viktor Bezhani. He deemed this ability as “essential” for TFC during the end-of-season press conference.

“We have a modest budget and we need coaches who can lead teams with fewer resources, but still manage to achieve better results than expected and develop players,” he added, describing the ideal profile for Martinez Novell’s successor. The Catalan coach leaves TFC after finishing ninth in the league and reaching the French Cup semi-finals.

While several names were mentioned (Olivier Pantaloni, Christophe Pellissier), Toulouse officials ultimately chose this relatively unknown coach in France, who has already worked in ten clubs since starting his coaching career in 2015.