Manager fumes after ex-Premier League star mistakenly subbed off in crucial clash

Ademola Lookman has been fantastic for Atalanta, scoring 18 goals in all competitions, so manager Gian Piero Gasperini was rightly fuming after the forward was accidentally subbed off in their 1-0 loss to Lazio

Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini was left seething after his star forward Ademola Lookman was mistakenly subbed off during his side’s 1-0 loss to Lazio on Sunday. Gasperini’s men suffered a set-back in their bid to secure a top four finish in Serie A after their rivals defeated them narrowly thanks to Gustav Isaksen’s second half finish.

But the Italian coach will be wondering what might have been after a mix-up on the touchline saw Lookman substituted earlier than expected in the 74th minute.

According to Corriere dello Sport, Gasperini was hoping to turn the tide in the match by switching out attacking star Ederson with Lazar Samardzic.

He had reportedly told one of his assistants to sub off “Ede”, but the coach responsible for speaking to the fourth official head “Ade” and instructed him to signal Lookman to be withdrawn.

Gasperini looked visibly furious when he saw Lookman’s No 11 shirt number being held up by the official but there was nothing he could do about it by that point.

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The coach told DAZN: “There was a mistake. Only [Mateo] Retegui was subbed to come off. Unfortunately, there was a misunderstanding between ‘Ede’ [Ederson] and ‘Ade’ [Lookman], and we paid a high price for it.”

Everyone involved with Atalanta will be cursing their luck after their star forward was taken off with more than 15 minutes to play when he could have affected the game to get them back in the contest.

Lookman is Atalanta’s second-highest scorer this season with 13 goals in Serie A and five assists. He has 18 goals in all competitions, just behind Retegui – who has 25 overall.

The English-born star began his career with Charlton Athletic before becoming a mainstay in European football following an initial spell with Red Bull Leipzig in Germany.

He played 24 times in total for Leipzig before loans back to England with Fulham and Leicester – where he netted 12 times across both spells.

In 2022 he was snapped up by Atalanta for around £12m and has been a huge success, scoring 50 times from 110 outings.

His performances have helped Atalanta go third in Serie A but the team are in a difficult run of form that has seen them lose three games in a row, with one win in their last five matches.

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