Ademola Lookman Hit Back At ‘Deeply Disrespectful’ Comments From His Own Atalanta Manager Over Penalty Miss

Ademola Lookman has slammed ‘deeply disrespectful’ comments from his Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini in a post on social media.

with a surprising 5-2 aggregate defeat to Club Brugge.

Lookman, who netted a hat-trick in last year’s Europa League final, came off the bench to give Atalanta a glimmer of hope at the beginning of the second-half.

However, he drew ire from his manager after he saw a penalty saved by Brugge goalkeeper Simon Mignolet later in the half.

“Ademola Lookman was not supposed to take that penalty. He is one of the worst penalty-takers I’ve ever seen,” said Gasperini after the defeat.

“He has a frankly terrible record even in training, he converts very few of them. (Mateo) Retegui and (Charles) De Ketelaere were there but Lookman in a moment of enthusiasm after scoring decided to take the ball and that was a gesture I did not appreciate at all.”

Simon Mignolet denies Ademola Lookman from the spot 😨

Club Brugge preserve their three-goal aggregate lead!

📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/5K96cTq7df

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 18, 2025

Ademola Lookman Blasts ‘Deeply Disrespectful’ Atalanta Boss

Ademola Lookman fired back at Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini in a post on X on Wednesday afternoon.

“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,” Lookman wrote.

‘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 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.’

Lookman ed Atalanta in 2022 and famously scored a hat-trick in their Europa League final triumph over Bayer Leverkusen.

However, Ademola Lookman’s spat with Gasperini raises questions over whether he will leave Atalanta in the near future.