“I didn’t mean to offend Lookman” – Gasperini explains criticism of Nigerian star
Gian Piero Gasperini, the manager of Atalanta, has maintained that when he criticised Ademola Lookman’s penalty-taking skills, he never meant to offend the Nigerian striker.
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Gasperini openly chastised Lookman for missing a vital chance after Atalanta was eliminated by Club Brugge in the Champions League, referring to him as “one of the worst penalty takers” he had ever witnessed.
After Lookman criticised the comments as rude, the club had to step in to try to defuse the situation.
“My words were never meant to be offensive,” Gasperini said. “Lookman had an extraordinary impact against Brugge.”
“I always speak in front of the whole team, and this was never even an issue within the club.”
After making an effort to minimise the problem, Gasperini revealed something about his future that raised the possibility that his time at Atalanta would be ending sooner rather than later.
“At the end of the season, we’ll decide whether to let my contract run out or stop earlier,”
“There will be no further renewals or extensions.”
Gasperini praised the success of Atalanta, which is presently third in Serie A, but he made hints about his desire for bigger goals, perhaps with a fresh challenge elsewhere.
