Askou joined Toulouse from Motherwell in the summer and has made a mixed start in Ligue 1. After ten rounds, his side were 12th, with results yet to match the promise of their performances. That distinction is central to the assessment of Théo Faugère, the journalist who covers Toulouse for La Dépêche du Midi and spoke to Bold.dk about the Dane.
“Jens Berthel Askou's start has not been especially impressive when it comes to results, but the team's style of play has been interesting.
“From the first day, he made it clear that he wanted to introduce an attacking and aggressive style, and that was evident in Toulouse's first matches under him. In Ligue 1, the team's first home games against Lyon and especially Lille were very promising. Toulouse dominated large parts of both matches, but still ended up losing because they were not clinical enough in front of goal.
“Nevertheless, Toulouse create a lot of chances, and that makes me believe things will eventually fall into place.”
The football has evidently made an impression beyond the club's supporters. Askou has been linked with Palace, who have since dismissed Pierre Sage after a poor run of results. Thomas Frank is currently reported to be the leading candidate for the Selhurst Park vacancy, with Askou among the other names linked to the position.
Faugère admitted that the speculation had caught him by surprise.
“I was a little surprised to see his name linked with Crystal Palace already. His attacking philosophy has probably attracted attention during his first months in Ligue 1.”
The French journalist does not, however, believe Toulouse would be willing to release their manager midway through the campaign.
“The club have not publicly commented on the interest. I find it very difficult to imagine Toulouse letting him go so early in the middle of the season. The club have repeatedly emphasised the importance of stability and had Carles Martinez Novell as coach for three consecutive seasons.
“Once again, the team under Askou are showing promising signs in terms of their football, so there is no reason why the club would not want to continue working with him. On top of that, it would be difficult to find a suitable replacement at this point in the season.”
Toulouse's next league assignment is away to Lens after the international break. Askou's immediate focus is therefore on turning encouraging performances into more consistent results, rather than pursuing a move to England.
The Crystal Palace link is a notable indication of the attention his work has attracted, but the circumstances make an early departure appear unlikely. Toulouse have invested in his project and, according to Faugère, have little reason to abandon it after only a few months.