Premier League Legend Shares Thoughts on Gasperini-Lookman’s Public Spat
- Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini and player Ademola Lookman had a public exchange of words
- The incident emanated from Lookman missing a crucial penalty in the 3-1 UCL loss to Club Brugge
- Premier League all-time top scorer and pundit Alan Shearer has commented on the player-coach spat
The public dispute between Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini and his player Ademola Lookman has attracted input from Premier League legend Alan Shearer.
Despite continued attention, the tension between the coach and his star appears to have eased after the 5-0 away win over Empoli in the Italian Serie A last weekend.
Source: Getty Images
Lookman missed a decisive penalty for Atalanta during their UEFA Champions League 3-1 loss to Club Brugge, despite scoring only minutes after coming on.
Gasperini publicly lashed out at the Nigerian attacker and labelled him the worst penalty-taker he'd ever seen, with many commenting that he was off the mark.
Lookman then responded on his Twitter, describing his manager's comments as hurtful and disrespectful, confirming that he had been asked to take the kick.
The club has not made any public statements about Gasperini's remarks or Lookman's comments, clearly trying to move on like nothing had happened.
Shearer speaks on Gasperini-Lookman saga
Premier League all-time top scorer Alan Shearer has since shared his thoughts on the ongoing spat between Gasperini and Lookman.
The former Newcastle United striker, who now works as a pundit, discussed the situation during his The Rest is Football Podcast.
“There was a big row as well with Ademola Lookman. The manager really criticized him after the game and he put a statement out the following day, saying he felt disrespected and what have you. It’s a really strange thing, one of those ones,” he said, as quoted by Soccernet.
Source: Getty Images
Gasperini surprisingly started Lookman despite the expectations that he would be sanctioned or even benched temporarily after the remarks about his manager.
The African Footballer of the Year stepped up and scored two goals during the 5-0 win and made a statement by snubbing his manager after he was substituted.
The former Everton forward also desisted from talking about the incident during his post-match interviews, instead asking the interviewer if they were finished.
Lookman and Gasperini’s futures at Atalanta are expected to be impacted by the penalty incident, with both possibly leaving the club at the end of the season.
Fabrizio Romano reported that the club had promised to let their Nigerian star go this time around after stopping him from joining Paris Saint-Germain last summer.
The manager also confirmed at his last press conference that he would not renew his contract and would decide whether to stay until 2026 or leave in the summer.
Gasperini aims another dig at Lookman
Legit.ng reported that Gasperini shaded Lookman yet again despite the attacker scoring two goals against Empoli, claiming the Nigerian had been scoring since he arrived at Atalanta.
The Europa League-winning manager ignored questions about what transpired behind the scenes after naming the attacker in the latest starting lineup despite the penalty kick incident.
PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!
Source: Legit.ng
