Atalanta’s head coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, has expressed his hopes that Super Eagles forward, Ademola Lookman will remain with the club during the upcoming January transfer window.
Ademola Lookman, who has been a standout performer for Atalanta, caught the attention of Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain in the 2024 summer transfer window, sparking speculation about a potential transfer.
During that period, the 27-year-old winger even skipped a few training sessions, indicating the temptation of a move to the French giants. After some time away, Lookman was successfully reintegrated back into the Atalanta squad, where he has since resumed his role.
Despite this temporary disruption, Gasperini acknowledged the challenge of retaining Lookman, especially given the previous interest from a prominent club like PSG.
He remarked, “Lookman tempted in the summer by PSG? No, it was not a good moment. Who knows, maybe certain hypotheses will recur, but hopefully not in January.”
The manager emphasized that right now, the priority is to have Lookman fully engaged and contributing to the squad’s objectives.
Note that Ademola Lookman was the only player from Atalanta who was nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’Or for helping the club win the 2023-2024 UEFA Europa League.
Lookman finished 14th in the final Ballon d’Or ranking which means that he is currently the 14th best player in the world.
“He knows he wouldn’t be here without De Roon, Ederson, Djimsiti, and the entire squad supporting him,” Gasperini told Gazetta dello Sport.
“It’s not guaranteed he would have achieved the same result if he were playing for a different team.”
The post Atalanta Coach Hopes To Keep Ademola Lookman Beyond January appeared first on Naija News.