Atalanta Youngster Praises Ademola Lookman’s Attitude Amid Beef With Gasperini
- Ademola Lookman surprised the football world when he responded to Gian Piero Gasperini's criticism
- Gasperini publicly lashed the Super Eagles forward after he missed a penalty against Club Brugge
- A youngster at the Italian club has singled out Lookman for praise amid the ongoing issues at the club
Ademola Lookman has received praise from an Atalanta youngster amid the ongoing public spat with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini that began two weeks ago.
Lookman and Gasperini have made their beef public since Atalanta were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League knockout playoffs after a 5-2 aggregate loss to Club Brugge.
Source: Getty Images
The Super Eagles star missed a penalty during the 3-1 second-leg loss, and the manager singled him out for blame and indirectly claimed he cost the team the match.
The attacker surprisingly published a statement on social media, firing back at his manager, describing the coach’s words as not only “hurtful” but “disrespectful”.
Reactions trailed the incident, with many supporting the player over the manager and the club refusing to make any public comment about the incident.
The Italian coach selected Lookman to start the next game against Empoli, and he responded with two goals to help La Dea get back to winning ways with a 5-0 scoreline.
The player was penned down to leave the club at the end of the season, and the incident with the manager has escalated the discussions around his future, amid links to many clubs.
Atalanta youngster praises Lookman
Atalanta youngster Oleksadar Dragan has heaped praise on Lookman after the Ukrainian extended his contract and trained with the first team under Gasperini.
Speaking in an interview with Dynamo Kiev UA, he named the Super Eagles star as one of the three players who have impressed him the most in the team.
“There are three people — de Ketelaere, Lookman, and Retegui. That's top level!” he said.
He further singled out Lookman as the player who took him under his wing and disclosed the advice that the reigning African Footballer of the Year gave him.
“Lookman. As a person, he is very pleasant, friendly, cheerful, always with a smile on his face. Ademola radiates kindness,” he said.
“Lookman told me: ‘Boy, just have fun on the field. Football is fun. You don’t need to stress; always be relaxed, and then everything will be fine. ’”
Source: Getty Images
This appraisal comes after Atalanta co-owner Stephen Pagluica admitted that Gasperini was wrong to have singled out the Nigerian after he missed a penalty.
“He made a mistake when he spoke about an individual because at Atalanta we have a policy: if things go badly, we take the blame, we look at ourselves, at how to do better,” Pagluica told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Juventus prioritise Lookman
Legit.ng reported that Juventus have made Lookman a priority ahead of the summer transfer window when he is expected to leave Atalanta after three seasons.
The Old Lady are keen to revitalise their squad in attack ahead of next season after struggling in front of goal this year, and that Nigerian star is a priority.
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Source: Legit.ng
