Former Premier League star slams manager after brutal 'worst penalty taker' dig
Ex-Premier League forward Ademola Lookman has hit back at his manager after Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini’s brutal ‘worst penalty taker’ dig as the Serie A side crashed out of the Champions League
Former Premier League striker Ademola Lookman has hit back at his manager after receiving a brutal comment following Atalanta’s Champions League exit.
Atalanta were dumped out of the Champions League on Tuesday night as Club Brugge put the Serie A side to the sword in Bergamo. The Belgian side held a one goal advantage from the first-leg and swiftly put the game out of reach, stunning Atalanta to take a 3-0 lead into half-time on the night.
The ex-Everton and Fulham forward did spark faint hopes of a comeback when he scored a minute into the second-half. But any comeback was soon over after Lookman saw his penalty saved on the hour mark by former Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
Lookman stepped up and chipped his penalty low and too central, seeing Mignolet make a comfortable save. The game saw no further goals after the miss as Club Brugge booked their round of 16 place with a 5-2 aggregate victory.
Following the match, Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini slammed the Nigerian for stepping up to take the penalty and the resulting outcome. He vented: "Lookman wasn’t supposed to take the penalty. He's one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen.
"Even in training he has a very low percentage, he kicks them really badly. He wanted to take the penalty after scoring a goal. He took the ball despite [Mateo] Retegui and [Charles] De Keteleare available to take it. I didn’t like what Lookman did."
Lookman has since spoken out and suggested that such comments from his manager should not have been publicly made. He added that he feels further disappointed by Gasperini’s comments given his commitment to the club.
"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," he wrote on social media.
"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."
It isn’t the first time that Lookman has come under pressure from his manager for missing penalties. While playing for Fulham against West Ham in 2020, Lookman attempted a 98th minute Panenka but chipped his effort straight into the hands of Lukasz Fabianski.
Following the Cottagers 1-0 loss, ex-Fulham boss Scott Parker said: "I'm disappointed and angry. You can't take penalties like that and he knows that. He's a young player and he's learning.
"The boy has made a mistake. Ade is the first to understand that. When you're young and you're learning you have to learn quick. He is disappointed and rightly so. This is part and parcel of football, of growing as players and as a team. We'll get around him now."