Atalanta market: Sassuolo crossroads for Ademola Lookman’s future
Atalanta soccer market: Ademola Lookman had taken about two months to regain his place at the center of the Nerazzurri project, even signing a “truce” with the Bergamo public after the long market soap opera that lasted the entire summer and ultimately did not lead to his transfer to Inter. Having started the season outside the Dea squad, his relationship with Ivan Juric on the one hand and the fans on the other had slowly mended, but now the events in Marseille may once again turn the tables.
The short but heavy squabble between the Nigerian striker and his coach has gone around the world. The’incident is therefore now widely known: at 75′ of the Marseille match came the substitution of Lookman, already tense from having had a rather controversial goal cancelled. Arriving near Juric, he muttered something to him, triggering the Atalanta coach’s reaction, who grabbed him by the arm, responding to him in apparently more heated tones. The worst was averted by the prompt intervention of Matteo Paro and Marten De Roon, but the Nerazzurri number 11 immediately seemed at least very puzzled by what had happened.
Juric, at the end of the match, threw water on the fire by branding the’episode as “things that happen” assuring that the two had already cleared the air. The fact remains that Lookman did not join his teammates at the victory celebrations in Marseille, and in Bergamo the Nerazzurri fans have resumed expressing some discontent with his behavior. That is why Atalanta-Sassuolo on Sunday could prove very important in redefining the player’s future or otherwise in the team’s plans.
In the meantime, there’s a question of whether Juric will decide to consider him again for the starting lineup, as indeed he has been doing increasingly in recent weeks. Lookman has played all of Atalanta’s last matches except the one against Juventus, starting 7 times out of 8 as a starter. Meanwhile, however, Charles De Ketelaere has carved out a very central role for himself in his new coach’s hierarchies, and in Marseille the Nerazzurri’s victory was decided by Lazar Samardzic. In short: there is no shortage of tactical alternatives.
The presence among the initial Nerazzurri eleven of Lookman against Sassuolo would demonstrate the’effective mending between him and Juric. It may not be enough, however. Another knot will be the reaction of the Bergamo crowd, which in recent weeks has gone from booing to a cool attitude to the celebration of the Nigerian after his goal at AC Milan. New protests from Atalanta fans could again move the needle on a player who has already shown in the past that he can “rip” if he wants to. And at that point his departure in January would risk becoming overbearingly topical again.
