Atalanta’s head coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, clarified on Saturday that he did not mean to offend Ademola Lookman when he remarked that the striker is “one of the worst penalty takers he has ever seen.” This statement followed Atalanta’s home defeat to Club Brugge in the Champions League.
Club Brugge delivered a surprising performance, defeating Atalanta 3-1 in the second leg of their playoff, resulting in a 5-2 aggregate score that eliminated the Italian team from the competition and advanced Brugge to the last 16.
Lookman, who was instrumental in Atalanta’s Europa League victory last season, managed to score one goal for his team after they fell behind 3-0. However, despite his impressive tally of 15 goals this season, he had a penalty saved during the match. Gasperini noted that Lookman was not the designated penalty taker, as offensive midfielder Charles De Ketelaere and striker Mateo Retegui were also on the field.
In response to Gasperini’s comments, Lookman expressed on Instagram that being singled out was “deeply disrespectful” and hurtful.
Gasperini downplayed the recent dispute during a news conference on Saturday, drawing parallels to a situation in Udinese’s 1-0 Serie A victory over Lecce on Friday, where Lorenzo Lucca converted a penalty despite not being the designated kicker.
“It had a significant impact, everything that followed… my comment was not intended to be offensive,” Gasperini stated.
“Yesterday in the Udinese-Lecce match, we nearly faced a dramatic situation, but fortunately, there were players who chose to move on. I would have appreciated it if a strong player like Lookman had encouraged De Ketelaere by saying: ‘Come on, take the ball and score.’
“He has the potential to become a penalty taker, which would enhance his goal-scoring capabilities… I always address the entire team, and this has never been an issue for the club. He felt hurt, but that was not my intention.”
Atalanta, currently third in Serie A with 51 points from 25 matches, will face relegation-threatened Empoli on Sunday.
“Empoli has been struggling recently, but in every match I’ve observed, they have performed admirably,” Gasperini remarked.
“They are a solid team with good quality and an excellent coach, fighting for survival. I recall our first encounter, and I anticipate a balanced and challenging match. Our sole objective is to give our best effort.”
