Owners of Atalanta of Italy are apparently on the side of Nigeria international, Ademola Lookman over his spat with coach Gian Piero Gasperini.
Lookman and Piero Gasperini had a public spat following the team’s elimination from the Champions League on Tuesday night in an episode which has reportedly angered the part of the club’s ownership.
Atalanta lost 3-1 at home to Club Brugge in the Champions League play-off round on Tuesday night, which sealed a 5-2 aggregate loss.
Lookman scored immediately after coming off the bench at half-time, but then missed a penalty which he was not supposed to take, which led Gasperini to call him “one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen,” during his post-match press conference.
In response, Lookman released a statement labelling the comments as “hurtful and deeply disrespectful.”
There have since been reports that several clubs are already keen on snapping up the reigning African Player of the Year if he decides to leave Atalanta in the summer.
In an attempt to smooth things over, Atalanta co-owner Antonio Percassi has flown in to act as a mediator in peace-keeping talks between the involved parties.
According to reports from TMW, Gasperini’s comments annoyed the Atalanta owners because they see Lookman as an ambassador, a key part of the club’s international appeal and one of the main reasons why the club is the reigning Europa League champion.