FC Inter Turku Signs Sierra Leone Striker Alie Conteh on Loan

Finnish Veikkausliiga side FC Inter Turku have completed the signing of 21-year-old Sierra Leone international forward Alie Conteh on a one-year loan deal from Norwegian top-flight club Strømsgodset IF, with an option to buy.

21-year-old Conteh, popularly known as Nzonzi, signed for FC Inter Turku on Monday, 23 February 2026 and has been handed the number 10 jersey, which is traditionally reserved for creative footballers.

Rising From Freetown

Image: Alie Conteh representing Leone Stars

Born in Freetown on October 29, 2004, Conteh began his senior career at Goderich before making his breakthrough during a loan spell at FC Kallon in the 2022–23 Sierra Leone Premier League season.

In the 2022-2023 Sierra Leone Premier League, Conteh scored 20 goals in 19 league appearances, winning the golden boot in that period.

Conteh, who plays as a striker, drew interest from several European clubs, including Italian Serie A side Udinese and Norwegian sides Molde and Stabæk.

In 2024, after a successful spell with FC Kallon in the Sierra Leone Premier League, now Leone Rock Premier League, Conteh moved to Norway on loan with Mjøndalen IF, where he made an immediate impression by scoring a hat-trick against Vålerenga in his debut. 

Across one-and-a-half seasons with the club, he scored 12 goals in 41 appearances in league and playoff competitions.

He later signed for Strømsgodset in the summer of 2025, making 16 appearances in Norway’s Eliteserien and scoring two goals in the second half of the campaign. 

Conteh remains under contract with the Norwegian club until 2029.

International Caps

Conteh has already earned eight senior caps for Sierra Leone, scoring two goals. 

He was also part of the Sierra Leone national team, Leone Stars, during the FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Burkina Faso and Djibouti. 

Club Statement

Image: Alie Conteh as FC Inter Turku player

FC Inter Turku’s head of player scouting, Viki Savonen, said the club views Conteh as a versatile addition to its attacking options.

“Alie brings a fresh option to our attack and enhances our presence inside the penalty area. His style of play contains a good measure of unpredictability, and he can pose a threat in diverse ways,” Savonen said.

“He is not the tallest player, but he is physically very strong and good in the air. In Norway, he has played fairly purely as a target striker in two clubs, but I believe we can utilize his qualities more diversely and get even more out of him,” he added.

Strømsgodset’s sporting director, Jackie Rasmussen, described the loan as a constructive move for all parties, noting that competition for attacking places within the squad had been strong despite Conteh’s positive pre-season performances.

FC Inter Turku

Conteh joins Inter Turku during a successful period for the club. 

The team finished second in the 2025 Veikkausliiga season, securing qualification for the UEFA Europa Conference League. 

Inter also won the Finnish League Cup and reached the semi-finals of the Finnish FA Cup.

The move offers Conteh an opportunity to gain regular playing time at a club competing domestically and in European competition, while Inter strengthen their attacking options ahead of a demanding season.