Portuguese-based football agent Olawale Onipede has strongly condemned Atalanta FC coach Gian Piero Gasperini for his remarks about Nigerian international and reigning African Player of the Year, Ademola Lookman.
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Onipede, head of Reigns Soccer Agency, expressed shock and disappointment over Gasperini’s comments, calling them disrespectful and unprofessional. He emphasized that managing top players requires composure and experience, qualities expected from a coach of Gasperini’s caliber.
“For a coach of his stature, such emotional statements are unacceptable. It clearly shows he had something against the player even before now,” Onipede stated. “You don’t single out your match-winner, the same player who led you to victory in the league and even the European cup final.”
He further criticized the recurring pattern among Italian clubs and coaches of blaming African players for mistakes in crucial matches. “This is unprofessional and unacceptable in modern football. Lookman has sacrificed so much for Atalanta, and this treatment is disgusting and disrespectful to his reputation.”
Onipede warned that if such attitudes persist in Italian football, it could damage the league’s reputation among Nigerian and other African players. He urged Lookman to consider a move away from Italy in the summer, stating, “He doesn’t belong to that family anymore.”
