Ademola Lookman slams ‘disrespectful’ Atalanta coach

Ademola Lookman has hit back at his own manager after being slammed as “one of the worst penalty-takers I’ve ever seen” following a crushing Champions League defeat. Gian Piero Gasperini made the damning comments after the former Everton winger’s spot kick was saved by ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet in Champions League playoff defeat to Club Brugge. The Nigerian had netted the only goal for La Dea off the bench but they were eliminated 5-2 on aggregate, losing 3-1 on the night. Despite his mixed evening, Gasperini stuck the knife in on the negatives and singled out the 27 year old, who played under Brendan Rodgers at Leicester City, to the media at full time. The Atalanta star missed the spot kick and it was claimed he is not the designated penalty-taker. The Italian coach said: “Lookman was not supposed to take that penalty, he is one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen. He has a frankly terrible record even in training, he converts very few of them. Retegui and De Ketelaere were there, but Lookman in a moment of enthusiasm after scoring decided to take the ball and that was a gesture I did not appreciate at all.” Lookman took to X in response, claiming he has been ‘singled out’ and disrespected. He posted: “It saddens me on a day like this to have to write this statement most of all because of what we have achieved together as a team and as a city. 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. “Along with our incredible fans, we as a team are hurting too with last night’s result. During the match the designated penalty taker instructed me to take the penalty; and to support the team I took responsibility in the moment to do so. Life’s about challenges and turning pain into power which I’ll continue to do.”

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Champions League: Ademola Lookman ruled out of Barca clash

Nigeria international Ademola Lookman will miss Atalanta’s away Champions League match at Barcelona on Wednesday due to a knee problem. According to Gazzetta, Lookman won’t fly to Catalunya with the rest of the team today and will undergo tests on his injured knee in Bergamo. The nature of Lookman’s injury is still unclear, but according to Gazzetta, it could force the striker to the sidelines for one month. Gazzetta claimed that Lookman sustained the injury during a training session on Monday. Lookman, 27, has 14 goals and seven assists in 27 appearances across all competitions with Atalanta this season. This past December, he was named the Best African Player of 2024. A former Fulham, Everton and Leicester City striker, Lookman joined Atalanta from RB Leipzig for just €9.3m in the summer of 2022. He has scored 46 goals in 105 appearances with La Dea.

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Atalanta rejects Liverpool interest in Lookman

Atalanta are unwilling to sell any of their stars in the January transfer window, including Ademola Lookman, who is wanted by Liverpool. Premier League giants Liverpool have eyed Atalanta striker Lookman, but La Dea will not sell any of their stars in the winter transfer window. Tuttosport newspaper claimed that Atalanta have already ‘said no’ to a Liverpool request for the 27-year-old striker. The Nigeria international was named the Best African Player of 2024 and has contributed to impressive results from the Nerazzurri. Lookman has already scored 11 goals and provided five assists in 19 appearances across all competitions this term. Last season, he helped Atalanta win their first European trophy by scoring a hat-trick in the Europa League Final against Bayer Leverkusen. Atalanta have won ten consecutive matches in Serie A and are the current table leader. Lookman was in talks to join PSG last summer but eventually remained in Bergamo, where his contract expires in 2026. Liverpool’s domestic rivals Manchester City have targeted another Atalanta star, Ederson, but La Dea will keep hold of the Brazilian until the end of the season.

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Ademola Lookman crowned African King

Nigerian star Ademola Lookman has been crowned as the African Player of the Year at 2024 CAF Awards held at the Palais des Congrés in the Moroccan city of Marrakech on Monday. The Atalanta of Italy forward succeeded his Nigerian compatriot Victor Osimhen. His three goals and two assists were pivotal to Nigeria reaching their eighth Africa Cup of Nations Final in Cote d’Ivoire in February, and his hat-trick in a 3-0 win handed Italian side, Atalanta FC the UEFA Europa Cup at the expense of hitherto-rampaging German side, Bayer Leverkusen in May. This season, he has notched 11 goals and five assists in 18 appearances in all competitions for Atalanta (including a goal against record winners Real Madrid FC in the UEFA Champions League), and scored two goals as Nigeria qualified for the 35th Africa Cup of Nations finals, with two other goals controversially chalked off. The Winners Player of the Year (Men)Ademola Lookman (Nigeria/Atalanta Player of the Year (Women)Barbara Banda (Zambia) Coach of the Year (Men)Emerse Fae (Cote d’Ivoire) Coach of the Year (Women)Lamia Boumehdi (TP Mazembe) Goalkeeper of the Year (Men)Ronwen Williams (S/Africa/Mamelodi Sundowns) Goalkeeper of the Year (Women)Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria/Paris FC) Interclub Player of the Year (Men)Ronwen Williams (S/Africa/Mamelodi Sundowns) Interclub Player of the Year (Women)Sanaa Massoudy (Morocco/ASFAR) Club of the Year (Men)Al Ahly (Egypt) Club of the Year (Women)TP Mazembe (DR Congo) National Team of the Year (Men)Cote d’Ivoire National Team of the Year (Women)Nigeria Young Player of the Year (Men)Lamine Camara (Senegal/AS Monaco) Young Player of the Year (Women)Doha El Madani Morocco/ASFAR Referee of the Year (Men)Mutaz IbrahimElivis Guy

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Ademola Lookman tops CAF Awards final shortlist

The Confederation African Football (CAF) has officially unveiled the Top Five Nominees in each of the Men’s Categories of the upcoming CAF Awards 2024. The 2024 edition of the CAF Awards is set to take place in Marrakech, Morocco on 16 December 2024. Simon Adingra (Cote d’Ivoire / Brighton & Hove Albion), Serhou Guirassy (Guinea / Borussia Dortmund), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco / Paris Saint-Germain), Ademola Lookman (Nigeria / Atalanta) Ronwen Williams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns) have all been lined up for CAF Awards 2024 Player of the Year Top Prize. Other categories announced today include Goalkeeper of the Year, Interclub Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Young Player of the Year, Club of the Year, National Team of the Year. The glittering ceremony designed to celebrate African football excellence recognizes exceptional performances in both club and national competitions, culminating in the prestigious tites of CAF African Player of the Year in both the men’s and women’s categories. A total of seven (7) categories have been confirmed by CAF in the Men’s Category of the awards, shortlisting the five top performing players, coaches and teams in each of the categories. The CAF Awards 2024 cover the period between January 2024 and October 2024. PLAYER OF THE YEARSimon Adingra (Cote d’Ivoire / Brighton & Hove Albion)Serhou Guirassy (Guinea / Borussia Dortmund)Achraf Hakimi (Morocco / Paris Saint-Germain)Ademola Lookman (Nigeria / Atalanta)Ronwen Williams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns) GOALKEEPER OF THE YEARAndre Onana (Cameroon / Manchester United)Yahia Fofana (Cote d’Ivoire / Angers SCO)Mostafa Shobeir (Egypt / Al Ahly)Stanley Nwabali (Nigeria / Chippa United)Ronwen Wlliams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns) INTERCLUB PLAYER OF THE YEARIssoufou Dayo (Burkina Faso / RS Berkane)Ahmed Sayed ‘Zizo’ (Egypt / Zamalek)Hussein El Shahat (Egypt / Al Ahly)Mostafa Shobeir (Egypt / Al Ahly)Ronwen Wlliams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns) COACH OF THE YEARPedro Goncalves (Angola)Emerse Fae (Cote d’Ivoire)Sebastien Desabre (DR Congo)Marcel Koller (Al Ahly)Hugo Broos (South Africa) YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEARKarim Konate (Cote d’Ivoire / Salzburg)Oumar Diakite (Cote d’Ivoire / Reims)Yankuba Minteh (Gambia / Brighton & Hove Albion)Eliesse Ben Seghir (Morocco / AS Monaco)Lamine Camara (Senegal / AS Monaco) CLUB OF THE YEARAl Ahly (Egypt)Zamalek (Egypt)RS Berkane (Morocco)Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)Esperance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia) NATIONAL TEAM OF THE YEARCote d’ivoireDR CongoNigeriaSouth AfricaSudan

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Atalanta wants €50m for Ademola Lookman

Atalanta value their star striker Ademola Lookman at €50m, according to Il Corriere dello Sport. The Nigeria international has had a stunning start to the season with eight goals and five assists in 14 appearances across all competitions with Atalanta. He was approached by Ligue 1 giants PSG over the summer, but Atalanta eventually persuaded him to remain at the club. The striker’s contract at the Gewiss Stadium expires in June 2026, but the Serie A side have an option to extend it for a further campaign, raising his salary to €2m per season. Friday’s printed edition of Corriere dello Sport reported that any interested club will be required to pay at least €50m for the 27-year-old striker who moved to Bergamo from RB Leipzig for just €9.3m in the summer of 2022. Atalanta is healthy financially, so the club is unwilling to sell Lookman in the January transfer window but may listen to offers in the summer. Lookman inspired Atalanta’s Europa League victory last season with a hat-trick in the final against Bayer Leverkusen and finished 14th in the 2024 Ballon d’Or ranking.

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