Arsenal and Chelsea handed unexpected chance to sign Nigeria sensation

Robin Bairner

19 Feb 2025 07:30 GMT
3 min read

Ademola Lookman, Atalanta, 2024/25 — © IMAGO

Arsenal and Chelsea have both been linked with a move for Victor Osimhen in recent months, but as the summer transfer window approaches, the Premier League giants have the chance to pivot towards Ademola Lookman of Atalanta.

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Lookman is a player who has been on fire in recent months. The 27-year-old caught the eye when he scored a hat-trick in the Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen and has not stopped finding the net since.

Current ETV

Ademola Lookman

F, AM (C)

Atalanta

Ademola Lookman

F, AM (C)

Atalanta

ETV Range

€43.7M - €53.5M

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The 23-cap Nigeria international has 10 Serie A goals to his credit while he netted five times in Atalanta’s run to the knockout stage of the Champions League, which was surprisingly brought to an end by Club Brugge on Tuesday.

After the Serie A club crashed to a shock 3-1 home loss to the Belgians, the Lookman found the finger of blame pointed squarely in his face.

Although he scored the Italian side’s goal as they attempted to rally from 5-1 down on aggregate, his saved penalty on the hour mark ensured there would be no grandstand finish while leaving head coach Gian Piero Gasperini seething with the hitman.

Ademola Lookman is one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen

- Gian Piero Gasperini, Atalanta head coach

“Ademola Lookman is one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen,” Gasperini said after the game.

“He wanted to take the penalty after scoring a goal, he took the ball despite Mateo Retegui and Charles De Keteleare available to take it… I didn’t like what Lookman did.”

The coach words arrived after a collective meltdown that saw Rafael Toloi sent off late on as he lost his head.

A turning point in Lookman’s career

Lookman’s future has been plunged into doubt following Gasperini’s assessment of his action. There now comes a very real threat of a rift between the pair following the coach’s public criticism of the player. This would have implications in the transfer market.

With both Arsenal and Chelsea having been linked with Lookman in recent weeks, the two Premier League clubs will surely be left assessing the situation once more.

At 27, the player does not necessarily fit into Chelsea’s model, while there will inevitably be questions as to whether he is the world-class striker that can elevate Arsenal into Premier League title winners.

Gasperini’s words, though, surely increase the chances of Lookman being on the move this summer.