Jens Berthel Askou has left Motherwell to become head coach of Toulouse.
The Dane led the Scottish Premiership club to a fourth-placed finish with victory at Hibernian last Saturday, securing European football for the Lanarkshire side.
The 43-year-old will replace Spaniard Carles Martinez Novell, whose three-year reign in charge of the 10th-placed Ligue 1 team will end at the conclusion of this season.
The Fir Park club agreed a compensation package with Toulouse for the departure of Askou, who says “grateful is the best word to describe” his Motherwell tenure.
“This past year has been an amazing journey,” he adds. “The buy-in and support from players, staff, board members, volunteers and supporters have been invaluable for me to lead the development of the club.
“There have been so many special moments along the way, but the way the season ended with a hard-fought win at Easter Road, leaving the club in a position of chasing European football next season, couldn’t have been written better.
“Special opportunities come rare in football. And you don’t know when they present themselves. So sometimes you have to leave great things behind to create new ones no matter how hard it is.”
