‘He Was Surrounded By Bad Advice’ – Ivan Juric On Ademola Lookman’s Return

Atalanta boss Ivan Juric has opened up on Ademola Lookman’s reintegration into the squad, saying the Nigerian forward was a victim of poor guidance during his failed attempt to join Inter Milan this summer.

Naija News reports that Ademola Lookman was frozen out of Atalanta’s opening three Serie A fixtures after training away from the group while trying to force through a move to San Siro. The club, however, stood firm and refused to strengthen a direct rival.

Following the closure of the transfer window, the 27-year-old returned to training and made his season debut in Sunday’s 3-0 victory at Torino, coming on as an 87th-minute substitute after goals from Nikola Krstovic (2) and Kamaldeen Sulemana had secured the win.

Speaking after the match, Juric revealed that Lookman had taken the step of addressing both him and his teammates about the transfer saga. The Croatian coach did not hide his frustration at those advising the Super Eagles star.

“He spoke to me and the team on Monday. He was surrounded by people who had given him some bad advice,” Juric said, as quoted by FotMob.

“He has a great winning mentality, and now we need to get him back in shape physically.”

The tension between Lookman and Atalanta had escalated in August, when the winger accused the club of unfair treatment in a string of social media posts before travelling to the United Kingdom to continue training on his own.

With no deal materialising, he returned to Bergamo just days before the season kicked off.

While Juric has chosen forgiveness, some supporters remain unconvinced. A banner displayed in the city this week bluntly read: “No. 11 reintegrated, but for us, you remain ungrateful.”

Juric’s willingness to bring Lookman back into the fold could prove crucial, especially with Charles De Ketelaere and Gianluca Scamacca struggling with fitness issues.

Lookman, who scored a hat-trick in the 2023-2024 Europa League final and followed up with 20 goals last season, is expected to play a major role in the coming weeks.

Atalanta visit Juventus in Turin on Saturday before returning to European duty with a Champions League clash against Club Brugge next Tuesday.