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- Atalanta head coach Raffaele Palladino has spoken about Ademola Lookman’s departure for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations
- Lookman, like many Europe-based stars, will join their national teams for AFCON 2025 on FIFA-approved December 15
- The 2024 African Footballer of the Year has regained himself under Palladino after a public spat with Atalanta and Ivan Juric
Atalanta head coach Raffaele Palladino has shared his thoughts about Ademola Lookman’s departure for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Lookman has found a new lease of life at Atalanta under the leadership of Palladino after issues with the club and former head coach Ivan Juric.
Source: Getty Images
The winger’s attempt to leave the club in the summer was blocked, with Juric particularly vocal about keeping the Super Eagles forward at the club.
Palladino reacts to Lookman’s departure
Atalanta boss Palladino has spoken about the departure of the Nigerian forward for AFCON 2025 after FIFA approved the December 15 deadline.
“We are losing two important players for us, strong, decisive, but we are getting back Kolasinac and Scalvini, who are equally important. We need to get Sulemana back, who had this minor issue; I try to get everyone back, because I need everyone to feel involved,” he said as quoted by Tuttomercatoweb.
As noted by Soccernet, Lookman will miss up to seven matches for the 2024 UEFA Europa League winners with his participation for Nigeria at AFCON.
He will miss Serie A clashes against Genoa, Inter Milan, AS Roma, Bologna, Torino and Pisa, as well as the UEFA Champions League match against Athletic Bilbao.
Eric Chelle stresses Lookman’s importance
Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle admits that Lookman is a player he cannot drop from his squad despite not playing for Atalanta at the start of the season.
The manager, while discussing his criteria for selecting players for the national team, confirmed that players like Lookman enjoy rare tactical privilege.
“Sometimes the tactical criterion wins. For example, Ademola Lookman hadn’t played much for Atalanta early in the season, but I couldn’t name a squad without the [former] African Player of the Year,” he told CAF Online.
Source: Getty Images
“He can change a game in 15 minutes. Picking 25 is never easy; in Nigeria, it’s even harder, which is why we work so hard.
The former Premier League star has struggled to make an impact for the Super Eagles even after returning to the pitch for Atalanta, as Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Nigerians would hope that he would be in top form in Morocco, as he was at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where he was named in the team of the tournament.
Palladino applauded Lookman’s goalscoring
Legit.ng previously reported that Raffaele Palladino applauded Lookman after the Nigerian forward scored in consecutive matches for Atalanta.
The manager admitted that he had not performed any magic with the player, but he only gave him freedom to operate in an attack-friendly environment.
Source: Legit.ng
