Earlier this month, Sheffield United confirmed that Ismaila Coulibaly will spend the rest of the season on loan at AIK Fotboll.
The 23-year-old made his debut for the Swedish club when he came off the bench in their 1-0 win over Gefle IF at the weekend.
After the tie, the Sheffield United owned player told Fotbollskanalen that he’s “very happy” to be at AIK and also revealed that his new teammates have made it easy for him to settle at the club.
“It hasn’t been complicated because I have one or two players I knew before I came here, so it was easy and we have a very good dressing room. We are all together and everyone is kind to each other. It was not difficult to get into the team,” he said.
The Mali international joined Sheffield United from Norwegian side Sarpsborg 08 FF in 2020 and was immediately sent to Beerschot on a three-year loan deal. His time in Belgium was cut short in 2022 and he’s been with the Blades since then.
Since the start of last season, Coulibaly has been restricted to only seven appearances and only one from this season, which came in the EFL Cup.
He had previously worked with AIK sporting director Thomas Berntsen at Sarpsborg and that was vital in his decision to snub other options for the Swedish club.
“That choice was about trust. I had several options but Berntsen took me when I was ten years old and I already knew what he can do for me and I really trust him after being injured several times,” Coulibaly explained.
“I thought the best option for me is to go where I can trust people again and AIK became the choice for me.”
Fotbollskanalen state the midfielder has struggled with injuries since leaving Sarpsborg and AIK have a plan for him to revive his career.
“I have a dialogue with the four coaches and the head coach and they have a plan for me to be fully ready… so I just follow that plan,” he added.
