Premier League Legend Shares Thought 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 shared his thoughts on the incident
Premier League legend Alan Shearer has shared his thoughts on the ongoing public beef between Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini and Ademola Lookman.
The incident between the two appears to have de-escalated after the weekend’s 5-0 away win over Empoli in the Italian Serie A but is still getting media attention.
Source: Getty Images
Lookman missed a decisive penalty for Atalanta during their UEFA Champions League 3-1 loss to Club Brugge, despite scoring minutes earlier after coming on.
Gasperini publicly lashed out at the attacker and labelled him the worst penalty-taker he'd ever seen, and the majority viewed his statements as off the mark.
Lookman responded on social media, describing his manager's comments as hurtful and disrespectful and confirming that the designated taker asked him to.
The statements brought no reaction from the club and everyone appears to have moved on like nothing happened but things certainly went on behind the scenes.
Shearer speaks on Gasperini-Lookman saga
Premier League all-time top scorer and pundit Alan Shearer has shared his thoughts on the ongoing rage between Gasperini and Lookman, describing it as strange.
Source: Getty Images
The former Newcastle United striker made his thoughts known on 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.
Gasperini surprisingly started Lookman despite the expectations that he would be sanctioned or at least benched for a few games 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 the 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 he was finished.
Both Lookman and Gasperini’s futures are expected to be impacted by the incident, with both possibly leaving the club at the end of the season.
Fabrizio Romano reported that Lookman's departure was planned from last summer as the club promised to let him leave after stopping him from joining Paris Saint-Germain last summer.
The manager also confirmed at his last press conference that he will not be renewing his contract and he will decide whether to stay till 2026 or leave in the summer.
Gasperini aimed 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 starting lineup despite midweek’s 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
