Tottenham Hotspur could take advantage of a whirlwind story from the Champions League this week, in their pursuit to sign a wide attacker in the summer transfer window - with Atalanta star Ademola Lookman's criticism from manager Gian Piero Gasperini potentially opening the door to a return to the English capital.
Lookman stepped up to the penalty spot in Atalanta's game against Club Brugge in midweek, missing his chance that would have dragged the Italian side to within two goals of their Belgian counterparts on aggregate - and despite scoring the goal to kickstart the comeback, his boss took aim at him.
Tottenham Could Revisit Move for Ademola Lookman
The winger has seen his Atalanta future turn upside down in recent days
Lookman's missed penalty certainly irked Gasperini, who blasted the winger by stating that the foward is one of the 'worst penalty takers he has ever seen', lambasting his 'frankly terrible record' from 12 yards.
And Lookman has since gone public to state how he feels 'deeply disrespected' by his boss after his outburst. Lookman posted a statement on X (formerly Twitter), writing:
"Being singled out in the manner I have been not only hurts but feels deeply disrespectful, not least because of the immense hard work and commitment I have always put in each and every day to help bring success to this club and to the incredible fans of Bergamo.
“In truth, I have dealt with many difficult moments during my time here the majority of which I have never spoken about because in my opinion the team must always be protected and must come first. This makes what happened last night even more hurtful.”
Subsequently, GIVEMESPORT sources said back in December that Tottenham were keeping a close eye on the Nigeria winger, having sent scouts to watch him in recent months - and despite failing to excel in the Premier League earlier in his career with Everton, Fulham and Leicester City, the attacker has improved massively since then and big top-flight teams such as Tottenham are watching him as he continues to earn praise, being called 'unstoppable' by Markus Fjortoft.
We also told how Lookman's admirers were wondering whether he would be able to adapt to their systems, but Lookman was open to a return to England - which is encouraging for Tottenham - despite cautions over whether he'd be able to maintain his current levels outside of Atalanta's system, where he scored a hat-trick in the Europa League final.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Ademola Lookman has eight goals in 27 caps for Nigeria.
Unwilling to let the £50m-rated Lookman depart in the January transfer window, a summer move was deemed as more realistic - and Tottenham, smelling blood from his recent fall-out with Gasperini, could see a move work in their favour if they decide to plunge for a move.
Statistics courtesy of WhoScored. Correct as of 20-02-25.