 He was mostly a bit-part player during his first season with the club.He made his début for the Deux-Sèvres club on 4 March 2006, coming on as a substitute replacing Vincent Durand in the 3–1 victory over AS Cherbourg Football, and went on to make two starts in the league, as well as four further substitute appearances, as the team comfortably finished top of the division, gaining promotion to Ligue 2.In his second season, Konaté became an integral part of the Chamois Niortais first-team thanks to his ability to play in a number of positions, his pace, and his accurate corner kicks.