Ademola Lookman had to be held back during a furious row after being grabbed by his Atalanta manager Ivan Juric on Wednesday night. The former Everton winger, 28, was substituted in the home Champions League game against Marseille that the Italian side went on to win 1-0. And as Lookman came off the pitch, there was an exchange of words between him and Juric, seemingly about his annoyance at being brought off. Juric then reacted and called back at his player, grabbing him at the same time before CEO Luca Percassi and team-mate Marten de Roon on the bench intervened to prevent the situation escalating further. Lookman appeared shocked and angered by his manager’s decision to get physical and the incident occurred in the 75th minute with the score 0-0. After the game, Juric went over to the Nigerian and they exchanged words again, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, but it is not known whether that was to smooth things over or continue the dispute. This is not the first time the winger, who has a brilliant record at Atalanta with 40 goals in 99 games and a hattrick in a Europa League final win, has been at the centre of controversy at the club. Lookman, who never quite made the grade in England and had loan spells at Fulham and Leicester City, was embroiled in a very public row with former boss Gian Piero Gasperini earlier this year. After a Champions League defeat by Club Brugge, Gasperini described the player as being ‘one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen’. Lookman took to social media and said: ‘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.’ He tried to force his way out of the club in the summer transfer window and Inter Milan bid £32million for him. There was also interest from PSG and other big sides leading to another messy situation, with Lookman again publicly calling out the club. He said in a statement: ‘Despite now receiving an offer in alignment to what I believe had been discussed, sadly the club are blocking the opportunity for reasons I do not understand. As a result and after many months of broken promises and what I feel has been poor treatment towards me as both a human being and as a professional footballer, sadly I feel I have no choice but to speak out for what I believe is right and I feel that enough is enough.’ But ultimately an exit was not sanctioned and he has been reintegrated, playing eight times this season. The latest incident with Juric now indicates a January transfer may be the best solution for all parties. Lookman has been with Atalanta since 2022 and in that time has made himself arguably the most important player at the club. His attacking output during that time has been unrivalled for La Dea and has seen him blossom later in his career. He began at Charlton and represented England, his country of birth, at age group levels before playing for Nigeria on the senior stage. A £7.5m move to Everton did not work out and he was loaned to RB Leipzig, who then signed him permanently before loaning him to Fulham and Leicester. Atalanta took a punt on him for £13m, which has proved to be a real bargain even if he does end up leaving under a cloud unless he can patch things up with Juric in the weeks ahead.
