You’d have to be a brave soul to pick a fight with Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou. Yes, the Dane certainly comes across as an affable fellow, but he isn’t one to be messed around, either.
Which is why the decision-makers at Fir Park would be wise to back him to the hilt when it comes to his stance regarding star man Tawanda Maswanhise. Best to keep the big man happy.
There has been no shortage of interest surrounding the Zimbabwean over the course of this transfer window, with both halves of the Old Firm reportedly sniffing around.
But speaking ahead of the visit of Kilmarnock this afternoon, Askou couldn’t have been any clearer when it was put to him that the in-form striker could be on his way out the door.
‘There’s been a lot of concrete rumours about Tawanda and a lot of concrete speculation and guessing and all sorts of things that we have to hear and sometimes read,’ he said.
‘But we are in no negotiations with anyoneregarding any of our top players, and we are not selling any of our top players this window.’
Tawanda Maswanhise has scored 15 goals in all competitions for Motherwell this season
The 23-year-old has been linked with a big-money move elsewhere in recent weeks
Manager Jens Berthel Askou has revealed the club are under no pressure to sell their man man
Well, that will be that then.
You have to admire the stance taken by the manager. After all, Motherwell are very much in the business of selling rather than buying. That, in essence, is what they are set up to do.
Askou, of course, knows that’s part and parcel of the job, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be ambitious when it comes to trying to get every last ounce out of his prized assets.
He has already accepted that it is a matter of when — not if — Maswanhise will move on providing he can finish the campaign strongly. Indeed, it would be a shock to everyone if the 23-year-old was still in Lanarkshire when the first whistle is blown next season.
His price is likely to rise rather than fall between now and then, which can only be a good thing for both the club and player, who will be able to take his pick from a plethora of options as he weighs up his next challenge.
If the likes of Kieron Bowie at Hibs are being valued above £5million, there’s no reason to think Maswanhise won’t soon be in the same bracket.
Fifteen goals in all competitions this season is an excellent return.
There’s no doubt he has kicked on under Askou. He’s developed into a clinical finisher who simply doesn’t look like missing. And if the likes of Elliot Watt and Elijah Just can continue to provide the creative spark behind him, there will be plenty of opportunities to add to his tally.
Celtic boss Martin O’Neill was spotted at Fir Park last weekend on a ‘football mission’
He looks tailor-made for a side such as Celtic, who will soon have a huge Daizen Maeda-shaped hole to fill.
In truth, if the men behind the scenes at the reigning champions had any semblance of common sense about them, Maswanhise would already be in the door. That ship appears to have sailed.
For all his talent, Maswanhise still has much to prove. Whether he is capable of making the step up to the next level remains to be seen.
He wouldn’t be the first player to go on a hot streak at Fir Park only to disappear into relative obscurity 12 months later.
After netting 29 in all competitions back in 2022-23, Kevin van Veen’s career fell off a cliff. More recently, Theo Bair earned a lucrative move to Auxerre off the back of a stellar spell at Fir Park.
The Canadian scored just twice last season in Ligue 1, and is now plying his trade on loan at Lausanne-Sport in Switzerland.
To be clear, Maswanhise is a more exciting prospect than either of the aforementioned ever were. But he shouldn’t be in a rush to head for the door so soon.
In fact, his manager’s declaration regarding his future should give him peace of mind going into the business end of the season.
The striker is happy and enjoying his football at Motherwell so should be in no rush to leave
Motherwell is clearly the best place for him at the moment. He’s absolutely flying for the most entertaining team in the country at the top end of the league, and has as good a chance as anyone of lifting the Scottish Cup trophy at Hampden come May 23.
Do that, and no one — not even Askou — would be able to stand in his way.
Win can turn tide for McCann
It’s easy to see where Neil McCann was coming from as he reflected on his side’s Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Dundee last weekend.
But for a guy still searching for a first win in the Kilmarnock hotseat, telling the long-suffering fans that he ‘didn’t care’ about being knocked out of the competition was bold to say the least.
He can’t afford to be too picky. Obviously, staying in the top flight is the priority, but that was a winnable home tie, and a golden opportunity to restore some positivity around a club in desperate need of it.
His comments — despite coming from the right place — were a kick in the teeth for any fan who forked out their hard-earned cash to watch their team fail to turn up at Rugby Park.
He wasn’t the most popular appointment to begin with.
All will be forgiven if he can pull a result out of the bag at Motherwell this afternoon, of course, but that’s easier said than done for a side sitting just three points off bottom spot and without a victory since early October.
Killie were battered at Fir Park back in August, yet somehow escaped with a share of the spoils. McCann could do with similar good fortune this time around.
