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UK: Motherwell FC relieved to keep in-demand Zimbabwe international
Motherwell FC manager Jens Bertherl Askou has revealed how they struggled to keep red-hot Zimbabwean striker Tawanda Maswanhise in the January transfer window.
The 2026 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) discovery attracted interest from teams such as Blackburn Rovers FC of England and Belgian side Anderlecht.
Ahead of his team’s Scottish Premiership match against Dundee United on Wednesday, the Dane told the BBC that he was relieved by the closure of the transfer window.
“Obviously, he has attracted an extreme amount of interest from all over the world, I would say, and also from the UK, and a little bit earlier than we expected and that maybe he expected,” Askou said.
“I think may be a little bit relieved that he doesn’t have to speculate about that any more because he is happy to be here. And he knows that there is a big chance for him to be top scorer in the league, which is a second ambition of his. The first one is to do as well as possible with the team.”
How Motherwell managed to keep Maswanhise
The Motherwell boss added that his team was able to withstand the pressure of letting go Maswanhise because the potential suitors could not match the price tag placed on the player.
“There have been offers but they have not been at an amount that is anywhere near the valuation that we put on him. So, it has been very easy just to say, ‘well, no, now is not the time and not to change the plans that we have made,” he said.
The Zimbabwe international is now the Scottish Premiership’s top scorer with 13 goals.
The Warriors forward has maintained a rich vein of form, scoring in every game for his club until last Saturday when his brace helped Motherwell to a 2-0 victory over Livingston FC.
The 26-year-old was a late revelation for Zimbabwe at the AFCON finals in Morocco where he scored and provided an assist in his only first start in a game against South Africa. The Warriors lost 3-2 to Bafana Bafana to exit the competition from the group stage.