Askou has left big shoes to fill, with Motherwell losing their fewest number of top-flight games since 1959 and setting a new clean-sheet record for the club.
Compensation was paid when the Dane left for France and the Fir Park coffers are likely to be further swelled over the summer.
Elijah Just, Tawanda Maswanhise, Elliot Watt and Calum Ward all made the PFA Scotland team of the year, along with veteran Paul McGinn, and it will be a challenge to retain the quartet.
Emmanuel Longelo and Lukas Fadinger also caught the eye as Askou transformed Motherwell into a slick, adaptable, possession-based outfit.
The fan-owned club are in good financial shape from the sale of Lennon Miller last summer and increased attendances, so Johansson may not be facing the major rebuild many predict.
The new boss, who has degree in sports science and completed a postgraduate course in high-performance football coaching in Lisbon, also has a very solid grounding in youth development in Scandinavia.
This time last year, fans were dismayed by the abrupt departure of Wimmer and asking Jens who? Now expectations in the hiring process will be much higher.
