Former Super Eagles goalkeeper and now television pundit Idah Peterside has urged his compatriot, Ademola Lookman, to leave the Italian club Atalanta immediately or as soon as possible before they force him out.
Peterside made this suggestion after Lookman delivered a stellar performance, winning the ‘Man of the Match’ award with two goals and an assist in Atalanta’s 5-0 victory over Empoli on Sunday, amidst ongoing conflict with his manager.
Last week, the Nigerian international was publicly criticised by his coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, after he took and missed a penalty kick in their Champions League elimination against Club Brugge.
However, Lookman responded in the best possible way to being labelled ‘the worst’ penalty taker by scoring twice in Atalanta’s Serie A win over Empoli.
Peterside advised Lookman to continue giving his best on the pitch but insisted he should leave Atalanta as soon as possible.
“He represents Africa,” Peterside told ESPN. “He should not let this weigh him down or affect his performance, regardless of what the coach says. But this is what I will tell him: ‘Leave now, or as soon as possible. We have seen this before, and it does not end well. Look at what happened to Victor Osimhen. Run before they push you out.”
There were expectations that the coach might take the opportunity during the pre-match press conference to apologise to Lookman; however, he did not.
Instead, the Italian reiterated his earlier comments, “Lookman felt offended, but I didn’t offend anyone. He came on with a fantastic approach against Club Brugge. If he starts training to improve his penalty taking, with his exceptional skills, Ademola can become our first penalty taker.”
After the match, Lookman posted a simple yet powerful message on social media: “Pain into Power.”
Lookman still has a year left on his contract with the club but was, and still is, expected to leave during the off-season, even prior to the altercation with Gasperini.
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