Atalanta will open their Serie A campaign on Sunday against Pisa at the Gewiss Stadium, but preparations have been overshadowed by uncertainty surrounding Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman.
The 2024 African Footballer of the Year only returned to Bergamo on Tuesday after being fined for a 15-day absence following the collapse of a transfer move to Inter Milan. He is currently training separately from the main squad until the summer transfer window closes.
At his pre-match press conference, new Atalanta coach Ivan Jurić drew comparisons between Lookman’s case and similar disputes elsewhere in Europe.
“I think this situation has been created in recent years now with various players, not just Atalanta, we also see Newcastle, Brentford, and the ones that are really penalised are the fans,” Jurić said.
“Because in any case the clubs and agents look after their own interests. And instead the fans put their emotions and heart into it and are left feeling bad.
“And then there is always a struggle between total honesty, emotion, reasoning about what’s best to achieve results, and the game in the end is what you want in your club.”
Lookman, who skipped pre-season games, will not feature against Pisa or Parma but has been named in Nigeria’s provisional squad for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and South Africa. However, doubts remain over his match fitness ahead of international duty.
