Atalanta coach Ivan Juric has expressed concern over the potential departure of Nigeria striker Ademola Lookman, admitting the club faces losing 80-90 per cent of their goals from last season following the forward’s training boycott amid stalled transfer talks with Inter Milan.
Lookman has been absent from training for over a week after posting a statement criticising the club for rejecting a €45m offer from Inter, leaving Juric to reshape his attack ahead of the new season.
The Croatian coach revealed that Lookman had been very fair with him before his rebellion, explaining his position before walking out on the squad.
“Ademola was very fair with me, he explained his thoughts,” Juric told L’Eco di Bergamo newspaper.
We just have to accept the situation. It’s sad that it got to this point.”
Juric acknowledged the scale of the challenge facing Atalanta, who have also lost top scorer Mateo Retegui to Saudi Arabia after the striker netted crucial goals last season alongside Lookman’s contributions.
“We lost players who provided 80-90 per cent of our goals, and it won’t be easy to replace them,” said Juric.
“I don’t think anyone will arrive who can replicate the numbers provided by Retegui or Lookman, but we must reinforce with intelligence and widen our list of alternatives.”
The departures represent a summer of profound change at the Bergamo club, which has also seen the end of Gian Piero Gasperini’s nine-year tenure as coach.
Juric compared Gasperini’s impact to that of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, highlighting the magnitude of the transition facing the club.
“Gasperini had an era here at the same level of influence as Sir Alex Ferguson with Manchester United,” the coach said.
Despite the upheaval, Juric remains hopeful that Gianluca Scamacca can provide attacking options after returning from knee injuries, though he acknowledged the former Italy striker is not yet at full fitness.
“He is growing gradually, and I want to get him straight into the mix for squad rotation, but with so many tournaments, we also need another option for the attack to be competitive on all fronts,” Juric concluded.
The coach will begin his Atalanta tenure when they face Pisa on 25th August in their opening league fixture of the season.
