Andersson and Helm deliver when it counted
AIK went to Mjällby with twelve players out last week. They arrived this Saturday with Besirovic, Thychosen, and Nordfeldt back (11) and left with three points. Victor Andersson scored one, set up another. Adrian Helm netted on his debut. 2–1 at Strandvallen (1) (9).
That is two straight wins, a week apart, both on the road, both from behind. A week ago it was Kouame doing the improbable in Göteborg (12). Now two kids from the academy dragged a squad held together with tape up to 18 points and fifth place. Fifth flatters the numbers, the goal difference is negative, but winning when you are running on fumes is the thing that sticks.
Csongvai to France, Matthys incoming
The midfield is about to lose a starter. Áron Csongvai travels Sunday. Medical at Saint-Étienne on Monday (2) (5). The fee is undisclosed, the timing is lousy, and the Hungarian's departure opens a hole Berg cannot fill internally.
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The club has a body lined up. Hervé Matthys has terminated his contract with Motor Lublin and is close to joining AIK (4) (6). He is a centre-back, not a midfielder, so this is not a straight swap. But AIK need numbers and the window is open. Depth has been the story of the season so far. That is not changing in July.
Flataker out, the prospects step up
Erik Flataker is gone. Go Ahead Eagles paid an estimated 2.5 to 5 million SEK (10) (16). Cash in, depth out. Flataker never locked down the striker role, but his exit leaves the forward line thin.
Andersson and Helm made that fact feel less urgent on Saturday. Andersson's goal came on a counter he started himself, and he found Helm for the second. Helm scored with his first touch as a senior professional. Two academy products, one match, all three points. That is not a plan you can bank on every week, but it is proof the pipeline works when called.
The shoe incident
Mjällby's Jeppe Kjaer Jensen threw his boot at Johan Hove. Yellow card. One-match suspension. "Det var dumt gjort," Kjaer said afterwards (7) (8). It was bizarre, it did not decide the match, and it is one less headache for AIK's next opponent to worry about.
What to watch
AIK are fifth on 18 points after 12 rounds. The table is tight and the squad is still under construction. The next fixture will test whether Andersson and Helm can follow up on their debuts, and whether Berg gets Matthys over the line before team selection becomes urgent. The Csongvai exit is a loss. The kids just proved they can cover other gaps. Now the question is what the club does with the Flataker money while the window is open.
