ATALANTA head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has explained that he had no intention of hurting Ademola Lookman’s feelings following his criticism of the Super Eagles forward in the aftermath of the club’s elimination from the UEFA Champions League.
The Italian had singled out Lookman for blame after his penalty miss against Club Brugge in Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League play-offs second leg in Bergamo.
Gasperini blamed Lookman for missing a penalty kick in the 3-1 defeat to the Belgian champions, labelling the Nigeria international one of the worst penalty takers he had ever seen.
Lookman hit back with a statement, noting that Gasperini’s words were ‘deeply disrespectful’.
“He (Lookman) had an extraordinary impact. My words were never meant to be offensive,” Gasperini said yesterday at a press conference.
“I would have liked to see a great player like him [Lookman] make a gesture toward [Charles] De Ketelaere, saying, ‘Come on, take the ball, put it in.’ He could become a penalty taker, adding another scoring ability. But I almost feel like there’s a narrative being pushed that Atalanta are in chaos when the reality is quite different.
“I always speak in front of the whole team, this has never even been an issue within the club.
“The player felt offended, but I never intended to offend anyone. In the end, I think it turned out well because there was no unnecessary drama.
“I also appreciated what happened in the Udinese game, with both the players and the coach. Lookman came on against Brugge in an extraordinary way, and his gesture, even if generous, doesn’t change my opinion.”
Lookman, who is the current African Player of the Year, is expected to leave Atalanta at the end of this season after almost making a switch to Paris Saint-Germain last summer.
