Atalanta Manager Surprised Over Ademola Lookman’s Decision, Others

Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini is surprised at the unexpected off-the-field situations involving two of the club’s players, Ademola Lookman and Teun Koopmeiners.

Ademola Lookman opted to be excluded from the squad for Atalanta’s Serie A season opener against Leece due to interest from Paris Saint-Germain.

Similarly, Koopmeiners had also withdrawn from the squad as he sought a transfer to Juventus. Despite these challenges, Atalanta managed to secure an impressive 4-0 victory over Leece.

Following the match, Gasperini commented on the situations concerning Lookman and Koopmeiners in an interview with Sky Sport Italia, saying, “In all honesty, nobody expected to find ourselves in this situation. At this moment, I am having to take it one day at a time. I had a few thoughts after the Super Cup, but then we ran into all these difficulties, including Scamacca’s injury.”

Gasperini also mentioned the uncertainty surrounding the remaining days of the transfer window, emphasizing that his focus is on assembling the best squad possible.

He acknowledged that the squad may not be finalized until the transfer window closes on August 31, highlighting the need to work closely with the club to address any potential additions to the team.

He said: “I don’t know what will happen over the remaining 10 days of the transfer window. My job is to assemble the best squad possible, to see with the club what could be useful to add. Clearly, we’ll not have a defined squad until August 31.”