The week the wait finally ended
Lucas Assadi is available. AIK confirmed on Saturday that their record signing has been granted a work permit, meaning the Chilean can feature against Malmö FF on Monday at Eleda Stadion (1) (8). After weeks of training by himself while the paperwork dragged on, the 22-year-old is finally cleared. José Riveiro can now decide whether to hand him his debut at the hardest away ground in the league, or ease him in against Västerås on Saturday.
The timing matters more than the fitness question. AIK sit sixth, one point and one place ahead of Malmö, with 31 points from 18 games. Three straight wins, including the 3–1 at Djurgården and the 3–2 against Hammarby, have reshaped the season. A result at Eleda Stadion turns a decent autumn into a European push.
Two derbies, one frustrated defender
Mads Thychosen watched both league derby wins from the stands. Back from injury now, and he did not hide his feelings: "It's horrible," he said, having missed the two biggest weeks of the season (2). That is the human truth of a winning run. The side he returns to has changed shape and confidence, and his place is no longer guaranteed. Riveiro has found something in his absence.
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The health of the squad is still the quiet concern. Eleven players are in rehab ahead of Malmö, a list long enough to shape team selection before a ball is kicked (17). Winning while carrying that many injuries says something about the depth AIK have built, and about how far the summer window strengthened rather than patched.
The signing everyone is talking about, and the one nobody is
Aziz Harabi scored twice for Nordic United in their win over Östers IF on Friday, weeks after the headlines about his robbery conviction turned his signing into a debate (12). AIK have stood firm, with Miika Takkula arguing that a man who has served his sentence and shown remorse deserves a fresh start. Harabi himself wrote that he is ashamed of his involvement (5). He joins next season. The scrutiny will not end when he arrives at Karlberg, and the wider fan conversation will follow him into 2027.
Kevin Filling is the opposite story. The 17-year-old extended until 2029 this week, quietly locking in another piece of the attacking core (4). Two signings announced in the same breath, one carrying weight AIK cannot control and the other carrying none at all.
What to watch
Malmö on Monday, then Västerås at home on Saturday, then Mjällby on September 16. Three games in eleven days with Assadi now an option and Thychosen back from the stands. The record signing may get his first minutes at Eleda Stadion or against Västerås, but either way the question stops being about paperwork and becomes about football.
