Former Super Eagles head coach José Peseiro has hailed Nigerian winger Ademola Lookman’s remarkable transformation into one of Europe’s most dangerous forwards, Footynaija.com reports.
The Atalanta star, who has scored 52 goals across all competitions for the club since joining from RB Leipzig in 2022, has impressed the Portuguese tactician with his improved finishing and all-round attacking maturity.
Lookman’s rise has come at a time when his future in Bergamo is uncertain. The 27-year-old is at the centre of an intense transfer dispute, having handed in a transfer request after Atalanta rejected multiple bids from Inter Milan, the latest worth €45 million.
He believes the club has gone back on its word to let him leave if the right offer arrived, while Atalanta remain adamant he will not be sold for less than €50 million.
“We’re still good today. Right now, I do not want to disturb him. I remember when I met him, I wanted to better understand his past and his goals,” Peseiro said, in a report by La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“When he arrived at Atalanta, I went to see him often: he understood that he had enormous potential. In Bergamo, he found the environment and the coach to bring it out.”
“What I like about him is the ability to shoot. The fact that, slowly over the years, he has grown in the sense of the goal: now, if you give him a yard or two, he immediately finds a corner of the goal,” the former Nigeria coach added.
Peseiro, who guided the Super Eagles to the AFCON 2023 final before leaving in February 2024, believes Lookman would thrive in Simone Inzaghi’s side if Inter manage to get the deal done.
“The Inter squad is good, but there can be a bit of imbalance. He, alongside Lautaro and Thuram, is not impossible,” he said.