Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman has responded after his manager called him “one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen” following the clubs upset elimination in the Champions League at the hands of Club Brugge.
After going down 3-0 in the first half, Atalanta crashed out of the Champions League losing 3-1 to Club Brugge (5-2) on aggregate Tuesday. It was a topsy-turvy game that saw Atalanta with a chance to come back after star forward Ademola Lookman was subbed on in the second half and immediately responded by scoring a goal, but after his missed penalty and a red card to defender Rafael Toli for fighting during the game, it all went downhill.
Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini wasn’t happy with the penalty revealing that Lookman shouldn’t have taken it following the game.
“He shouldn’t have taken the penalty. He’s one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen,” Gasperini said. “The penalty takers were [Charles] De Ketelaere and [Mario] Retegui, but apparently [Lookman] was euphoric [after scoring] and then there was this penalty. Someone else could have still missed it but it wasn’t a nice gesture.”
On Wednesday the Nigerian striker responded to the open criticism of his manager and wrote on his social media channels, “Being singled out in the manner I have been not only hurts but feels deeply disrespectful, not least because of the immense hard work and commitment I have always put in each and every day to help bring success to this club and to the incredible fans of Bergamo.
“In truth, I have dealt with many difficult moments during my time here – the majority of which I have never spoken about because in my opinion the team must always be protected and must come first. This makes what happened last night even more hurtful,” Lookman said.
Lookman’s take was with power but he telegraphed it into the right bottom corner of the net making it easy for experienced keeper Simon Mignolet to know where it was going.
Atalanta have missed three of the eight penalties that they’ve taken in all competitions this season with Mario Pasalic, Mateo Retegui and now Lookman missing but those were pointed words from Gasperini. Less than a year removed from scoring a hat trick to win the Europa League final with Atalanta, it now feels like he’s on the outs of the squad. The striker also had a disagreement with the club at the end of the summer 2024 when he asked to leave in the last few days of the summer transfer window, after PSG offered around $30 million to sign him.
People taking penalties when they’re not the designated taker is quite normal but for a manager to call his own player one of the worst penalty takers that he’s ever seen isn’t. There’s still plenty to cheer for for Atalanta as they could secure a Champions League spot by finishing in the top four in Serie A but it’s also clear that after their Europa League title last season, they’re no longer happy to just be on the European stage.
KVSP