2 Feb 2027
Tuesday
Process
27 Edition

The HJK Courier

1 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

82 days out for Lucas Lingman after a fracture

A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. HJK will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.

Squad

A falling-out at HJK

Lassi Lappalainen and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

Joakim Nilsson 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.

The dugout

No hiding place for Pyry Mentu

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Pyry Mentu, and the manager let it.

The dugout

Liam Möller has become a man the manager trusts

Nobody at HJK 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 dugout

Lucas Lingman knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Lucas Lingman trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

Back issues
26 Edition

The HJK Courier

25 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

89 days out for Lucas Lingman after a fracture

A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. HJK will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.

Squad

Lassi Lappalainen in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at HJK this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Words at HJK training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Joakim Nilsson 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.

Squad

HJK count the cost of losing Joona Veteli

66 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

The dugout

Nikolai Alho gets picked when it counts

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 Nikolai Alho is on it.

The dugout

Lucas Lingman knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at HJK, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

25 Edition

The HJK Courier

18 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Lucas Lingman breaks a bone — 98 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 98 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Squad

Tempers go at HJK

Lassi Lappalainen 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.

Squad

Mouhamed Guèye signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Mouhamed Guèye commits to HJK for another 4 years.

In brief

24 Edition

The HJK Courier

11 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

105 days out for Lucas Lingman after a fracture

A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. HJK will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.

Squad

Words exchanged at HJK

Lassi Lappalainen 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.

Squad

Words at HJK training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Joakim Nilsson 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 dugout

Lucas Lingman gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

The dugout

Kaius Simojoki has become a man the manager trusts

Nobody at HJK 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 dugout

The manager makes Till Cissokho a promise

Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at HJK. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.

In brief

  • The dugout Liam Möller keeps his manager's vote
  • Squad Pyry Mentu is training like a man with a point to make
23 Edition

The HJK Courier

4 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A fracture rules Lucas Lingman out for 113 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason HJK will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Squad

A falling-out at HJK

Lassi Lappalainen and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

A row about effort at HJK

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Joakim Nilsson was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Squad

The armband comes off Lassi Lappalainen

HJK will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.

The dugout

When it matters, Liam Möller plays

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.

Market

The Santeri Haarala question follows HJK around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Santeri Haarala’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

In brief

22 Edition

The HJK Courier

28 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A fracture rules Lucas Lingman out for 120 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason HJK will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Squad

Words exchanged at HJK

Alexander Ring 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 dugout

When it matters, Nikolai Alho plays

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.

In brief

21 Edition

The HJK Courier

21 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A fracture rules Lucas Lingman out for 128 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason HJK will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Squad

Tempers go at HJK

Lassi Lappalainen 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.

Squad

Words at HJK training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Joakim Nilsson 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 dugout

Till Cissokho gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

The dugout

Joakim Nilsson is still paying for one afternoon at HJK

Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.

The dugout

Matej Marković gets picked when it counts

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 Matej Marković is on it.

In brief

20 Edition

The HJK Courier

14 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

HJK count the cost of losing Iivo Nybäck

14 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

A row about effort at HJK

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Joakim Nilsson was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

The dugout

No hiding place for David Ezeh

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to David Ezeh, and the manager let it.

Squad

Tempers go at HJK

Kaius Simojoki 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 dugout

Lucas Lingman knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Lucas Lingman trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

The dugout

Kaius Simojoki gets picked when it counts

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 Kaius Simojoki is on it.

In brief

19 Edition

The HJK Courier

7 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

The dugout

Pyry Mentu: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” HJK have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Lassi Lappalainen signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Lassi Lappalainen commits to HJK for another 4 years.

Squad

A falling-out at HJK

Lassi Lappalainen and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

A promotion for Till Cissokho

Not a new contract, not a new number: a new place in the manager’s thinking, which is the only promotion in football that actually matters. Till Cissokho has moved up it.

The dugout

Liam Möller has become a man the manager trusts

Nobody at HJK 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 dugout

Lucas Lingman knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Lucas Lingman trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

Market

The Santeri Haarala question follows HJK around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Santeri Haarala’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

Squad

A wage question at HJK

Santeri Haarala has done the arithmetic and does not like the answer. Nothing corrodes a squad faster, and no club has ever solved it by explaining the wage structure to a footballer.

The dugout

The manager makes Till Cissokho a promise

Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at HJK. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.

In brief

18 Edition

The HJK Courier

30 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Lassi Lappalainen in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at HJK this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

A row about effort at HJK

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Joakim Nilsson was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

The dugout

Lucas Lingman gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

17 Edition

The HJK Courier

23 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Mihailo Bogićević has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around HJK they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Tempers go at HJK

Lassi Lappalainen 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.

Squad

Joakim Nilsson 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.

Squad

Joona Veteli signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Joona Veteli and HJK agree another 2 years.

The dugout

The manager has not finished forgetting Joakim Nilsson's mistake

Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.

The dugout

Matej Marković has become a man the manager trusts

Nobody at HJK 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.

In brief

16 Edition

The HJK Courier

16 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Words exchanged at HJK

Lassi Lappalainen 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.

Squad

Alfie Cicale 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.

The dugout

Alfie Cicale gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

The dugout

Lassi Lappalainen knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Lassi Lappalainen trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

The dugout

Roni Hudd gets picked when it counts

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 Roni Hudd is on it.

Squad

International call for Santeri Haarala

Santeri Haarala joins up with his country. HJK lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.

In brief

15 Edition

The HJK Courier

9 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Tempers go at HJK

Alexander Ring 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.

Squad

Lucas Lingman signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Lucas Lingman and HJK agree another 4 years.

Squad

A row about effort at HJK

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Joakim Nilsson was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

The dugout

No hiding place for Lassi Lappalainen

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Lassi Lappalainen, and the manager let it.

Market

HJK and Lucas Lingman are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

The dugout

Liam Möller has become a man the manager trusts

Nobody at HJK 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.

In brief

14 Edition

The HJK Courier

2 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Only the photograph left for Emmanuel Boateng

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Emmanuel Boateng will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around HJK the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Lassi Lappalainen in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at HJK this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Lucas Lingman stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Lucas Lingman and HJK agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

A row about effort at HJK

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Joakim Nilsson was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Market

Still no ink between HJK and Lassi Lappalainen

“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at HJK, another week without a signature from Lassi Lappalainen.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Liam Möller

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

13 Edition

The HJK Courier

26 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

The small margins put HJK out

Out, 1‑1 to KuPS, and the long argument about which of the small moments decided it. The league is all there is now, and everybody knows it.

Player ratings

Alfie Cicale runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 26. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Market

Mihailo Bogićević is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at HJK is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

The wait goes on for HJK

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.

Player ratings

Lucas Lingman fails from the spot

Twelve yards and the whole ground holding its breath, and it did not go in. He will put his name down for the next one, which is the only thing to do.

Squad

Mihailo Bogićević 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.

The dugout

Joakim Nilsson is still paying for one afternoon at HJK

Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.

Squad

Words exchanged at HJK

Daniel Raitala 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 dugout

No place for David Ezeh on the big day

He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at HJK pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.

In brief

  • The dugout Matej Marković has become a man the manager trusts
  • The dugout The view from the dugout
  • The terraces Everybody has an opinion about Joakim Nilsson
12 Edition

The HJK Courier

19 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Lucas Lingman has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around HJK they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Words exchanged at HJK

Lassi Lappalainen 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.

Squad

Jasper Samooja is a better footballer than he was

Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 23 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.

Squad

Words at HJK training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Joakim Nilsson 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 dugout

David Ezeh knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at HJK, and both men came out saying it was fine.

The dugout

Roni Hudd has become a man the manager trusts

Nobody at HJK 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.

In brief

11 Edition

The HJK Courier

12 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Only the photograph left for Liam Möller

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Liam Möller will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around HJK the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Joakim Nilsson wants to go home

“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at HJK can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.

Squad

A falling-out at HJK

Lassi Lappalainen and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

Words at HJK training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Joakim Nilsson 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.

Market

The Santeri Haarala question follows HJK around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Santeri Haarala’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

The dugout

Kaius Simojoki gets picked when it counts

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 Kaius Simojoki is on it.

Squad

International call for Teemu Pukki

Teemu Pukki joins up with his country. HJK lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.

Market

Still no signature from Lucas Lingman

2 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what HJK could get for him.

The dugout

A door opens for Lucas Lingman

He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.

In brief

10 Edition

The HJK Courier

5 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Till Cissokho has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around HJK they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Lassi Lappalainen in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at HJK this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Lassi Lappalainen

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Words at HJK 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.

Squad

Too much change too quickly at HJK

11 signings in three months. Every one of them may be an upgrade and the team can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild that never appears in the transfer-window verdicts.

The dugout

Liam Möller has become a man the manager trusts

Nobody at HJK 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.

In brief

9 Edition

The HJK Courier

28 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Mihailo Bogićević is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at HJK is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Tempers go at HJK

Lassi Lappalainen 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.

Squad

Joakim Nilsson 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.

The dugout

Alfie Cicale gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

The dugout

Lassi Lappalainen knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Lassi Lappalainen trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

The dugout

Martin Kirilov gets picked when it counts

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 Martin Kirilov is on it.

In brief

8 Edition

The HJK Courier

21 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Lucas Lingman is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at HJK is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Alexander Ring in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at HJK this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

A row about effort at HJK

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Joakim Nilsson was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

The dugout

Lassi Lappalainen knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Lassi Lappalainen trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

The dugout

Roni Hudd gets picked when it counts

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 Roni Hudd is on it.

Market

Still no signature from Mihailo Bogićević

2 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what HJK could get for him.

In brief

7 Edition

The HJK Courier

14 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Liam Möller has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around HJK they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

A row about effort at HJK

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 dugout

No hiding place for Mihailo Bogićević

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mihailo Bogićević, and the manager let it.

Market

HJK and Lucas Lingman are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

Squad

Joakim Nilsson still has not settled

A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at HJK would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.

Market

The Santeri Haarala question follows HJK around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Santeri Haarala’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

The dugout

Kaius Simojoki gets picked when it counts

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 Kaius Simojoki is on it.

The dugout

The manager makes Lucas Lingman a promise

Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at HJK. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.

Market

Still no signature from Lucas Lingman

3 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what HJK could get for him.

In brief

6 Edition

The HJK Courier

7 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Alfie Cicale

Successful dribbles: 29. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Market

Till Cissokho is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at HJK is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Lassi Lappalainen in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at HJK this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

A row about effort at HJK

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Joakim Nilsson was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Match

Mads Borchers’s goal not enough for HJK

Mads Borchers scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑3 to SJK, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.

Transfer targets

Estudiantes tell HJK: Ian Vera is not for sale

The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Lassi Lappalainen

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Nikolai Alho is no longer first choice

The manager has re-ordered his thinking and Nikolai Alho has come out of it lower. He will be told it is temporary, and the players who have heard that before will avoid his eye.

Market

HJK and Lassi Lappalainen are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

In brief

5 Edition

The HJK Courier

31 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Matej Marković is the hero from the spot

A shoot-out is remembered by its ending, and this one ends with Matej Marković: 2 kept out, and a set of supporters who will describe every one of them for the next twenty years.

Match

HJK march on in the cup

Ilves are out and HJK go through, 1‑1 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Alfie Cicale

Successful dribbles: 27. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Market

Only the photograph left for Mihailo Bogićević

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Mihailo Bogićević will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around HJK the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Boardroom

HJK to lose Emmanuel Boateng for free

There is no worse way to lose a footballer. Emmanuel Boateng 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.

Squad

Tempers go at HJK

Lassi Lappalainen 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.

Squad

A row about effort at HJK

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Joakim Nilsson was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Boardroom

HJK beat the market to Johan Brunell from FF Jaro

FF Jaro will keep picking him until June and will get nothing for him after it. Johan Brunell has pre-agreed a move to HJK, and the only people who lose in that arrangement are the ones who let the contract run down.

Transfer targets

HJK rebuffed over Lautaro Taboada

Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Cardiff City have kept their man, and HJK go back to a list with one name crossed off it.

In brief

4 Edition

The HJK Courier

24 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Triumph

Player ratings

Jere Kallinen was unplayable

Successful dribbles: 40. 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.

Match

HJK march on in the cup

RoPS are out and HJK go through, 5‑3 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.

Match

HJK march on in the cup

RoPS are out and HJK go through, 2‑1 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.

Player ratings

A brace, and Teemu Pukki takes the afternoon — 9.20

There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Teemu Pukki provided it, and the 9.20 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.

Player ratings

No sign of nerves from Martin Kirilov at 19 — 8.38

The hardest thing about being 19 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Martin Kirilov did not need any: 8.38, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.

Market

Lucas Lingman has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around HJK they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Player ratings

A defender's goal wins it for HJK — 7.47

1 for Lucas Lingman, marked 7.47, and a centre-half's name in the part of the report he normally only reaches by mistake. He will not be allowed to forget it in the dressing room for a month.

Boardroom

Till Cissokho has agreed to leave HJK for nothing

He will play here until the summer and then walk out of the door for free, having already signed elsewhere. Supporters will manage the first part of that sentence; it is the second they will struggle with.

Squad

Words exchanged at HJK

Lassi Lappalainen 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

3 Edition

The HJK Courier

17 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Player ratings

Lassi Lappalainen was unplayable

Successful dribbles: 29. 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.

Squad

Matej Marković keeps HJK in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Market

HJK say no — this time

The offer from KTP for Mihailo Bogićević 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.

Market

Liam Möller is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at HJK is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Boardroom

Deadline passes with 12 signed and 2 gone

That is the business done at HJK until the window opens again. Whether it was enough will be answered on Saturdays rather than in a column, and the first Saturday is close.

Squad

Nikolai Alho pulls a muscle — 16 days out

The injury that keeps coming back, keeps being rushed back from, and quietly costs more careers than the dramatic ones. 16 days is the estimate; the honest figure depends on whether anybody is patient.

Boardroom

Mihailo Bogićević has agreed to leave HJK for nothing

He will play here until the summer and then walk out of the door for free, having already signed elsewhere. Supporters will manage the first part of that sentence; it is the second they will struggle with.

Squad

A falling-out at HJK

Lassi Lappalainen and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Market

HJK sell Ville Tikkanen for $200.0K

Ville Tikkanen has left for FF Jaro in a $200.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.

In brief

2 Edition

The HJK Courier

10 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

HJK say no — this time

The offer from VPS for Ville Tikkanen 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.

Player ratings

Teemu Pukki, 36, rolls back the years — 7.98

There is an age at which every good afternoon gets described as a throwback, which is unfair and also accurate. 7.98 at 36, and nobody on the pitch was better.

Transfer targets

Matías Espíndola due for a HJK medical

Everything agreed with Deportivo Maldonado, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.

Transfer targets

Bruno Miño turns down HJK

The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: Almirante Brown keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.

Boardroom

Lucas Lingman has agreed to leave HJK for nothing

He will play here until the summer and then walk out of the door for free, having already signed elsewhere. Supporters will manage the first part of that sentence; it is the second they will struggle with.

Squad

A falling-out at HJK

Alexander Ring and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

A row about effort at HJK

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Lassi Lappalainen was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Transfer targets

Palermo tell HJK: Giacomo Corona is not for sale

The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.

Market

HJK promote Oliver Granlund from within

The academy exists for exactly this morning. Oliver Granlund 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

1 Edition

The HJK Courier

3 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Player ratings

Nikolai Alho runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 28. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Teemu Pukki signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Teemu Pukki commits to HJK for another 2 years.

Squad

Lassi Lappalainen in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at HJK this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Inter Turku take the points off HJK

Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

The dugout

Matej Marković gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

A row about effort at HJK

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mads Borchers was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Market

HJK and Lassi Lappalainen are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

Market

The clock runs on Matej Marković's contract

36 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.

Squad

Too much change too quickly at HJK

12 signings in three months. Every one of them may be an upgrade and the team can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild that never appears in the transfer-window verdicts.

In brief