ATALANTA defender Berat Djimsiti has spoken about how the players rallied around Ademola Lookman when his proposed move to Paris Saint-Germain fell through in August.
Lookman was believed to be close to a switch to the French moneybags just before the transfer window closed but it did not materialise, with the Super Eagles forward having already asked to be left out of the Atalanta squad.
The former Everton star subsequently missed Atalanta’s opening fixture of the new Serie A season against Lecce and was also not included in the matchday squad at Torino.
Djimsiti explained that the players never doubted the importance of the Nigeria international to the team.
“We know Lookman, he had difficulties in the market but we told him to stay calm and he would return to being a protagonist,” he said according to Italian outlet SOS FANTA yesterday.
In his first Serie A appearance of the 2024/2025 season for Atalanta on Sunday, Lookman was the star of the show, scoring the winning goal and providing an assist in the 3-2 victory over Fiorentina.
He was named the man of the match for his stellar outing.
The performance came after Lookman scored a brace in Nigeria’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Benin Republic.
He also had a goal controversially ruled out in Eagles’ 0-0 draw with Rwanda in Kigali.
