“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at AC Oulu, and it is not being withdrawn.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 6 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
This is not cover and nobody is pretending it is. $1.4M has been paid because Simon van Duivenbooden is straightforwardly better than what was already here, and the club has decided to stop waiting.
AC Oulu asked and Haka said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
The offer went to HJK this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
HJK have accepted the money. What AC Oulu do not yet have is the man, and between here and the photograph is a conversation about wages that both sides are dreading.
The offer from Haka for Santeri Silander was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
The offer went to VPS this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 5 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at AC Oulu this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The interest is real enough to have reached print. AC Oulu have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad19 Jul 2027
Words at AC Oulu training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Son is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
4 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at AC Oulu can tell you which week it ends in.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
“There are things I liked and things we will be doing on Tuesday until they are right.” 0‑0, and a manager who had already decided what Tuesday looked like.
3 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at AC Oulu can tell you which week it ends in.
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Jasse Tuominen, and the manager let it.
Squad5 Jul 2027
Words at AC Oulu training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mihailo Bogićević is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Successful dribbles: 17. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at AC Oulu this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
None of them will be seen by anybody outside the training ground for three years, most of them will never play a senior match, and one of them might change the club. That is the whole proposition, and it is why academies exist.
“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Paulus Uronen after the 0‑0 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.
The dugout5 Jul 2027
Somebody else is better right now than Matias Ojala
The team sheet says it in public every week until it changes. The only version of being dropped a footballer cannot argue with, and the one he takes hardest.
FC Lahti go through and AC Oulu go home, 0‑0 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” AC Oulu have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around AC Oulu they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Miguel Santos was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
At 21 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Words at AC Oulu training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Son is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at AC Oulu this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
He is 23 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Half the programme played, position 8, 14 on the board. Doubling it is the sum every supporter has done and the only one nobody at the club will do out loud.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mihailo Bogićević was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Somebody else has been better, the manager has said so with a team sheet, and there is no argument to be had. He will get the shirt back the only way it can be got back.
Successful dribbles: 13. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
IF Gnistan next, and one man in the AC Oulu dressing room knows their training ground better than his own. The reception will tell him what they thought of him.
Miguel Santos and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
A point taken on 91 minutes is worth exactly one point and considerably more than that to a dressing room. This side does not stop, which is a reputation worth more than the result.
A month is long enough that nobody gets in by accident. Julius Körkkö is in the division's best eleven for it, which is a quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Paulus Uronen after the 1‑1 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.
In brief
The dugoutSomebody else is better right now than Matias Ojala
The dugoutThe manager makes an example of Matias Babb
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around AC Oulu they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
3 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
Miguel Santos was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
“The players deserve the credit. My job was easy today.” It was not, and everybody in the room knew it; after 1‑0, Paulus Uronen could afford to be generous.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at AC Oulu this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 20-year-old it feels ownership of. Julius Körkkö has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
100 games in this shirt, through managers and relegations and everything else. Service like it is disappearing from the game and the crowd knows what it is watching.
Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.42 on the card, and the AC Oulu support went home talking about one name.
The dugout24 May 2027
The view from the dugout
“We controlled it. There were spells I did not like and we will look at them, but the group showed me something.” Paulus Uronen, on a 1‑0 win that he was already picking apart on the walk to the press room.
Jasse Tuominen wins it after the whistle should have gone
93 minutes played. Jasse Tuominen found the finish in time that only existed because of earlier delays, and TPS went from a point to nothing inside one movement.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at AC Oulu this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Son was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at AC Oulu, and 1 appearances in 13 say he has earned the hearing.
In brief
Player ratingsThe afternoon belonged to Jetmir Haliti
5 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Miguel Santos and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad10 May 2027
Words at AC Oulu training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Son is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad10 May 2027
7 new faces, and AC Oulu are still learning each other
A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑1, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
Successful dribbles: 15. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
The dugout10 May 2027
Somebody else is better right now than Matias Ojala
The team sheet says it in public every week until it changes. The only version of being dropped a footballer cannot argue with, and the one he takes hardest.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around AC Oulu they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Every paper's favourite story and every manager's least. What happened is being dealt with internally, which is the phrase clubs use when they would rather nobody asked again.
4 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at AC Oulu can tell you which week it ends in.
Miguel Santos was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mihailo Bogićević was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Successful dribbles: 22. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at AC Oulu this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Son was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
3 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at AC Oulu can tell you which week it ends in.
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at AC Oulu, and 2 appearances in 10 say he has earned the hearing.
Successful dribbles: 23. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at AC Oulu this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
“I watch every AC Oulu game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at SJK runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
The dugout19 Apr 2027
The view from the dugout
“We did not lose. Some weeks that is all you get, and I would rather have the point than not.” Paulus Uronen chose the glass-half-full version of 0‑0; the supporters left with the other one.
There is no complaint available here and everybody involved knows it, which does not make the walk to the bench any shorter. Form is the only currency in football that cannot be borrowed against.
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Santeri Silander is on it.
Inter Turku next, and one man in the AC Oulu dressing room knows their training ground better than his own. The reception will tell him what they thought of him.
The offer from Åsane for Neemias was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at LOSC Lille is saying, and nobody at AC Oulu is enjoying the guessing.
Miguel Santos was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
4 boys move up, and somewhere in the building the people who coached them at twelve are quietly having the best morning of their working year. Nothing about this shows up in a result and it is why the academy exists.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Sheffield Wednesday have kept their man, and AC Oulu go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Robin Pohjanpalo has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Urho Lod has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Mikael Pohjanpalo has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
In brief
The dugoutThe manager makes an example of Miguel Santos
The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: MSK Zilina keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.
“It was not right for me. I am not going to explain why to anybody except the people I owe an explanation to.” A deal agreed between two clubs, and a player who declined to be part of it.
AC Oulu have gone to Haka with a bid, and the supporters have gone to the internet with an opinion about it. Whether either changes anything is up to the selling club.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Julius Körkkö will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around AC Oulu the goodbyes have quietly begun.
The deadline has passed and the squad is the squad. 8 arrived, 5 left, and everything else printed about this club last month was a rumour that stayed one.
Miguel Santos and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Son was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Add another name to the list: Åsane have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Neemias. The answer from AC Oulu has not changed — yet.
The offer went to MSK Zilina this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
Everything agreed with LOSC Lille, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
The offer from Haugesund for Jasse Tuominen was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
The name of Julius Körkkö has come up in conversations AC Oulu were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Everyone has stopped pretending: Sarpsborg 08 will make the call about David Ezeh this week. AC Oulu have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Words at AC Oulu training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Son is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
AC Oulu asked and Bodo/Glimt said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at AC Oulu, and it is not being withdrawn.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Lausanne-Sport have kept their man, and AC Oulu go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Add another name to the list: FC Lahti have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Niklas Schulz. The answer from AC Oulu has not changed — yet.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Words at AC Oulu training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mihailo Bogićević is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
“I watch every AC Oulu game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at SJK runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
A loan enquiry to Sheffield Wednesday: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around AC Oulu people have started saying his name in the past tense.
Inter Turku have accepted the money. What AC Oulu do not yet have is the man, and between here and the photograph is a conversation about wages that both sides are dreading.
AC Oulu offered $1.4M; TPS said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.
Miguel Santos was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Son was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at AC Oulu, and it is not being withdrawn.
The chase for Neemias ended with $940.0K changing hands and FC Lahti out of reasons to say no. The supporters will judge the fee the only way that matters: on Saturdays.
AC Oulu offered $380.0K; KTP said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.
Miguel Santos and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Neemias was the name on every phone-in, and the club has gone and signed him for $940.0K. For one week the board can do no wrong, which is a week most boards never get.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Son was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
AC Oulu asked and Rapid Wien said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
23 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. AC Oulu lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
The offer from Haka for Julius Körkkö was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. AC Oulu have done the hard part with FC Lahti, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at AC Oulu, and it is not being withdrawn.
The number the board signed off was not enough. It has been asked again and raised its own offer to $400.0K — a club that wants Arttu Tulehmo enough to be asked twice.
The offer went to KTP this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
31 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. AC Oulu lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at AC Oulu this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The phone has started ringing about Julius Körkkö again, and this time the name on the line is Haka. AC Oulu are listening politely and promising nothing.
Boards get told what they have done wrong for years and hear nothing on the days they get it right. This is one of those days: Son from Ludogorets for $2.0M, and a ticket office having a very good morning.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mikko Pitkänen was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
In brief
Transfer targetsA loan move for David Berger is in the works
The words a physio says slowly. 38 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
AC Oulu and Ludogorets have settled on $2.0M. The rest belongs to the player and his agent, and a supporter who has watched one of these before knows not to buy the shirt yet.
The fee is $220.0K, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. PK-35 drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.
Miguel Santos was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Alex Ramula was the name on every phone-in, and the club has gone and signed him for $220.0K. For one week the board can do no wrong, which is a week most boards never get.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Niklas Schulz has his answer from AC Oulu; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
45 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. AC Oulu lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
AC Oulu and PK-35 have settled on $220.0K. The rest belongs to the player and his agent, and a supporter who has watched one of these before knows not to buy the shirt yet.
Add another name to the list: SJK have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Adramane Cassamá. The answer from AC Oulu has not changed — yet.
David Ezeh was the name on every phone-in, and the club has gone and signed him for $870.0K. For one week the board can do no wrong, which is a week most boards never get.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
A year in and the city has not opened up, the language has not come, and lunch is eaten alone more often than anybody at AC Oulu would admit. It shows on Saturdays.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Rasmus Karjalainen signs something — a contract at AC Oulu or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
54 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. AC Oulu lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Juha Pirinen and AC Oulu agree another 1 years.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Words at AC Oulu training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Julius Körkkö is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
63 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. AC Oulu lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at AC Oulu this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mihailo Bogićević was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The words a physio says slowly. 70 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Miguel Santos was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mihailo Bogićević was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The words a physio says slowly. 77 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Miguel Santos and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Juuso Mäkeläinen is 17, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
The words a physio says slowly. 87 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mihailo Bogićević was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
97 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. AC Oulu lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at AC Oulu this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
105 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. AC Oulu lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Julius Körkkö was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Niklas Jokelainen trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
113 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. AC Oulu lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mihailo Bogićević was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Nothing is announced when this happens and everybody knows. He is a bigger part of the plan at AC Oulu than he was a month ago, and the training ground worked that out before the team sheet said so.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Jetmir Haliti signs something — a contract at AC Oulu or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
In brief
The dugoutKalifa Jatta asks for a word with the manager
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at AC Oulu this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Kalifa Jatta falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Santeri Silander is on it.
Miguel Santos was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Words at AC Oulu training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mihailo Bogićević is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Miguel Santos and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Rasmus Karjalainen signs something — a contract at AC Oulu or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Niklas Jokelainen and AC Oulu agree another 4 years.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Kalifa Jatta falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Jetmir Haliti signs something — a contract at AC Oulu or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
1 months left, and both sides know what that means: every week without a signature, the fee AC Oulu could ask drops and the wages Lamine Ghezali can ask rise.
In brief
The dugoutSampo Ala-Iso asks for a word with the manager
“The easiest signature of my career.” Niklas Jokelainen and AC Oulu agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Words at AC Oulu training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Matias Ojala is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at AC Oulu, another week without a signature from Niklas Jokelainen.
Nobody at AC Oulu will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at AC Oulu is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Mihailo Bogićević and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad26 Oct 2026
8 new faces, and AC Oulu are still learning each other
A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at AC Oulu, and 0 appearances in 9 say he has earned the hearing.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Julius Körkkö was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around AC Oulu they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Adramane Cassamá is 22, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Miguel Santos and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
In brief
SquadWords at AC Oulu training over how hard people work
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Jetmir Haliti signs something — a contract at AC Oulu or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at AC Oulu is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at AC Oulu this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Santeri Silander and AC Oulu agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Words at AC Oulu training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Julius Körkkö is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at AC Oulu is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Miguel Santos was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad28 Sep 2026
8 new faces, and AC Oulu are still learning each other
A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at AC Oulu, and both men came out saying it was fine.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Elias Kallio signs something — a contract at AC Oulu or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
In brief
MarketThe clock does Julius Körkkö’s negotiating for him
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around AC Oulu they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Miguel Santos and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Tuomas Kaukua signs something — a contract at AC Oulu or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at AC Oulu is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Successful dribbles: 16. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Marked 7.77. Ask anyone leaving the ground what settled it and you will get one name, which is the only award that has ever really counted.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Julius Körkkö falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Paulus Uronen after the 1‑1 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.
A year in and the city has not opened up, the language has not come, and lunch is eaten alone more often than anybody at AC Oulu would admit. It shows on Saturdays.
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at AC Oulu, another week without a signature from Lamine Ghezali.
The manager wanted a different profile for this opponent, which is a real football reason and no consolation. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around AC Oulu they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Mihailo Bogićević and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Words at AC Oulu training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Julius Körkkö is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The demotion a club never announces and a dressing room always notices. Alex Lietsa is further from the side than he was, and the reason will not be given until he asks.
A month is long enough that nobody gets in by accident. Rasmus Karjalainen is in the division's best eleven for it, which is a quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at AC Oulu, another week without a signature from Niklas Jokelainen.
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
Every squad has one of these fixtures for somebody every season. This one is Matias Ojala’s: the club that knew him first, the supporters who will decide in the first minute whether to applaud, and AC Oulu needing him to play as if none of it matters.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at AC Oulu is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Miguel Santos was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Successful dribbles: 21. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Vejle have kept their man, and AC Oulu go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
He is 19 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
A shoot-out is remembered by its ending, and this one ends with Miguel Santos: 2 kept out, and a set of supporters who will describe every one of them for the next twenty years.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at AC Oulu is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
The rules permit it and it stings anyway. Niklas Jokelainen has agreed terms with TPS for the summer, and until then he pulls on this shirt as a player who has already chosen his next one.
Miguel Santos and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
AC Oulu offered $78.0K; IF Gnistan said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.
At 22 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Ilves arrived with $340.0K and left with the best player in the building. The board will call it business; the queue at the ticket office will use other words.
Otto Kemppainen has gone, the accounts have $340.0K in them, and the supporters have the feeling of having been sold something themselves. Good business and a good decision are not always the same thing.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Julius Körkkö will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around AC Oulu the goodbyes have quietly begun.
The deadline has passed and the squad is the squad. 16 arrived, 2 left, and everything else printed about this club last month was a rumour that stayed one.
There is no worse way to lose a footballer. Julius Körkkö has pre-agreed a move away, which means every appearance between now and June is made by a man the club can no longer sell, and somebody upstairs will be asked why the contract was allowed to get here.
The offer went to IF Gnistan this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
The offer from HJK for Lamine Ghezali was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
The number the board signed off was not enough. It has been asked again and raised its own offer to $180.0K — a club that wants Otto Tiitinen enough to be asked twice.
The rules permit it and it stings anyway. Lamine Ghezali has agreed terms with TPS for the summer, and until then he pulls on this shirt as a player who has already chosen his next one.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Rasmus Karjalainen and AC Oulu agree another 3 years.
The offer went to Ilves this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
Miguel Santos was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
HJK will keep picking him until June and will get nothing for him after it. Lucas Lingman has pre-agreed a move to AC Oulu, and the only people who lose in that arrangement are the ones who let the contract run down.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Sampo Ala-Iso will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around AC Oulu the goodbyes have quietly begun.
The rules permit it and it stings anyway. Sampo Ala-Iso has agreed terms with SJK for the summer, and until then he pulls on this shirt as a player who has already chosen his next one.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at AC Oulu this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The paperwork is done long before the player is. Adam Vidjeskog has agreed terms to come here when his current deal runs out, which means AC Oulu have spent a summer's transfer budget on a phone call.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Words at AC Oulu training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Rasmus Karjalainen is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
49 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.