For a while, it seemed Ademola Lookman had signed off as an Atalanta player with the most flamboyant of flourishes.
His dazzling hat-trick in the Europa League final delivered a first European trophy to the club, in the process making the Italians the only side to beat Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen juggernaut all season.
You would be hard pressed to find a more decisive cup final performance. Inevitably, after the initial torrent of praise came the enquiries, with Paris Saint-Germain coming knocking for the Nigerian late in the transfer window.
Lookman ended up training alone and unavailable for selection while awaiting news after the season had started.
It was the last thing Gian Piero Gasperini needed after what had already been a difficult summer.
He had already lost star striker Gianluca Scamacca to an ACL injury, forcing Atalanta into the market to sign Italy international Mateo Retegui, while Teun Koopmeiners joined domestic rivals Juventus after a drawn-out transfer saga.
But now, with the market safely closed and nothing ultimately coming of PSG’s advances, things are looking bright again for Atalanta and Lookman alike just in time for the visit of Arsenal.
Lookman became the first Atalanta player to receive a Ballon d’Or nomination when he was named on the 30-man shortlist after a year of Europa League heroics and a starring role in Nigeria’s run to the Africa Cup of Nations final.
And on Sunday, he came in from the cold to belatedly play his first league minutes of the season against Fiorentina, putting in a man-of-the-match display in a 3-2 win that earned him gushing praise once more from the Italian media.
Lookman’s mesmerising assist for Retegui’s opener was followed by a sublime goal of his own, tying two defenders in knots before wrong-footing David de Gea with a clever finish.
“The magician is back to being a phenomenon,” gushed Gazzetta dello Sport, while Sky Sport Italia said: “His season has resumed the way the last one finished: as the best player on the pitch.”
Lookman couldn’t have timed his game-changing performance much better. Not only was it desperately needed after a humbling 4-0 defeat at Inter Milan before the international break, but it came on a landmark day in the history of his club as they played in their completely renovated stadium for the first time.
Il Giornale wrote that Lookman “turned on the lights in the new house” as Atalanta’s supporters packed into a new-look Gewiss Stadium that was finally finished after almost 2000 days of work and 100 million euros of investment.
The mood music is upbeat once more as Bergamo prepares to host Champions League football again after two years when Arsenal come to town.
It’s a challenge that Lookman will relish. Born in London to Nigerian parents, Ademola was brought up playing cage football across the capital, developing the explosive movement, one-on-one skills and quick feet that characterise his game.
His journey from the south London streets to a Ballon d’Or shortlist has taken him from Waterloo to Charlton, Everton and Leipzig, with stops in Leicester and Fulham on the way before he arrived at Atalanta.
Lookman has now played more games, 80, for the Italians than any other club and his two seasons in Lombardy have been the most prolific of his career, producing a combined 32 goals in all competitions.
But if PSG’s interest wasn’t surprising, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t disruptive.
Lookman reportedly asked not to be picked for the opening weeks of the Serie A season to avoid injury ahead of a potential move, and he trained alone until being reintegrated when a deal could not be struck.
But any worries that coming back into the fold would be problematic quickly dissolved against Fiorentina.
“He had a bit of a difficulty due to the transfer window and we were aware of that,” defender Berat Djimsiti said after the game.
“We told him to be calm… do what you were doing before, and we will all be happy. That’s what he did.”
The brilliance of Lookman’s display was the perfect way of drawing a line under the saga as attention quickly turns to Arsenal.
Rumours abound that Gasperini could sacrifice an attacker for a midfielder for the visit of the Gunners and you can see why.
Atalanta have scored and conceded eight goals in four games so far – only three teams have scored more, but nobody has conceded more.
Even a magician might find it hard to conjure up results against Europe’s elite unless that problem is solved quickly.
– inews
