Alfred Johansson Brings Passion and Vision to Motherwell
New Motherwell manager Alfred Johansson is ready for major summer interest in World Cup ace Elijah Just, as he prepares to take charge at Fir Park. The 35-year-old Swede, who became the youngest boss in the Scottish Premiership after succeeding Jens Berthel Askou, recalled a 2017 study trip to Glasgow that gave him a crash course in Scottish football.
Johansson, a former Rosenborg manager with no playing background, said: “I had to do a study trip here in 2017. I watched a couple of games live, watched many games on video and had to return with some kind of report to the university. One game was at Ibrox, one game in St Johnstone and then I was at Hampden Park and watched Motherwell beat Rangers in a cup semi-final.”
Scottish Football’s Passion Made a Lasting Impression
Johansson was a postgraduate student in high performance football coaching at the University of Lisbon when he made the trip. He added: “I would say that the passion was a standout in all those games. Also just going down the local pub where I was staying, just people talking about football, watching football on all the screens all the time. That passion was massive and it's something that growing up in Scandinavia where we see all the football from UK on the telly, it's something that you dream a little bit about it.”
He noted the physicality of the game: “The football was very energetic with a lot of physicality and a lot of questionable duels and maybe some things that didn't end up being a yellow card that we're used to in Scandinavia! But really energetic, passionate, and exciting. Just liked the fact that people were so energised by football, just obsessed with the game.”
Building on Askou’s Foundation with Attacking Football
After a year of breathtaking football under Askou, Well fans want more than just winning—they want sexy football. Johansson is on board after meeting with head of recruitment Nick Daws, chairman Kirk MacMillan, and chief exec Brian Caldwell. He said: “All the good people at the club, all the good players we have, it gives you a lot of confidence that we'll be able to continue the journey. We want to try to consolidate the style of play. We want to try to build on top of the good foundation.”
He praised the club's clarity: “I can't praise enough the process that I've been through with Nick, Kirk and Brian, where the clarity of how the style of play should be is coming from the club. How that was conducted last year was brilliant. It was a very brave team that was playing out from the back. It was a forward-minded team that wanted to attack the opposition half, go into the box with many bodies, being really brave on the ball. On top of that, having a real good sense of unity and togetherness in the defensive work, where everyone was working hard for each other. Collective pressing, collective defending. That’s a pretty good description of how I would want my team to look like.”
Elijah Just’s World Cup Heroics Spark Transfer Interest
Johansson is ready for bids for Elijah Just, the club’s player of the year last season. The New Zealander made history when he became the first Motherwell player to score at the World Cup, hitting a double in a 2-2 draw with Iran. His performances have alerted Celtic, Rangers, and clubs across Europe. Johansson said: “I haven’t spoken to him yet. I think it's fair to him to be able to be in America and focus on the national team now. I’ve focused more on the guys that are actually here and had good talks with them. He's a good player and he's a Motherwell player. I think there's always going to be rumours and links. It's going to be a big thing.”
Johansson is not fazed by potential departures: “If I were to choose clubs based on one really good player, I think that would be quite naive. I would say that what's been exciting about Motherwell for me has been, firstly, the process with the directors. How they want the club to be run, where they see themselves going with the club, the strategic work in terms of style of play, how they want to play, how they see the squad and me watching games, seeing all those good players is just exciting.”
