Atalanta head coach Ivan Juric is worried over the potential departure of Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman after a stand-off between the player and the Bergamo club, www.aclsports.com reports.
Lookman, who recently voiced out his frustration about his treatment by the Italian club, has been absent from training and is pushing for a move to former Italian champions Inter Milan.
However, the Croatian coach, who replaced Gian Piero Gasperini in the dug-out, revealed that the current African Footballer of the Year 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. Sadly, it got to this point.”
Atalanta’s top scorer last season, Mateo Retegui, has already left the club for Saudi Arabia, and with the imminent exit of Lookman, Juric fears his side might not be able to replace them as they look to compete in the new football season.
“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.”
In addition, Juric also spoke about his predecessor, Gian Piero Gasperini, who left the club after nine fruitful years, for AS Roma.
“Gasperini had an era here at the same level of influence as Sir Alex Ferguson with Manchester United,” the coach said.
Juric, who had an unsuccessful spell in the Premier League with Southampton last term, will begin his Atalanta reign without Lookman when they face Pisa on 25th August in their Serie A opener.
