Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou on Tawanda Maswanhise

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The Celtic Star

·24 January 2026

Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou on Tawanda Maswanhise

Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou has moved to clarify speculation surrounding Tawanda Maswanhise’s future following growing transfer interest from Celtic in the attacker…

The Steelmen welcome Kilmarnock in Scottish Premiership action this afternoon, but much of the build-up has been dominated by talk of a potential January switch for the Zimbabwe international, with Celtic among the clubs reportedly monitoring his situation.

Addressing the media ahead of the clash at Fir Park, Askou delivered a firm message regarding the player’s status, as Maswanhise continues an impressive campaign that has already produced 15 goals across all competitions.

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Speaking via Motherwell’s YouTube channel, Askou said: “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.

“But we are in no negotiations with anyone regarding any of our top players, and we are not selling any of our top players this window. It’s very, very late, and we want them to stay here and finish at least this season, and then we’ll see in the summer.”

Jens Berthel Askou, manager of Motherwell during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic FC and Motherwell FC at Celtic Park, on 5th October 2025. Photo Mark Runnacles IMAGO/Shutterstock

The Danish boss added: “Well, I think I’ve said before that we are under no pressure in this football club, because the club is well-driven over time, and we made a really good sell, a big sell, of Lennon [Miller] in the summer.”

“So there’s no stress from anyone that we need to generate money now from a sale. On the contrary, there’s a mutual agreement and understanding that we want to strengthen our opportunities to reach out for the maximum possible of this season, and obviously that includes keeping hold of the best players.”

Celtic return to league action tomorrow afternoon with a demanding trip to Tynecastle, where they will take on league leaders Hearts in a crucial encounter.

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