Ademola Lookman: A Season Like No Other

After sojourning with several European clubs, mostly on  loan, Super Eagles forward, Ademola Lookman finally joined Serie A side, Atalanta on a permanent move in the 2022-23 season for €9.35 million from German side, RB Leipzig, and since then, he had not looked back. Though his 11 goals and seven assists in 37 games for La Dea may not have matched his first season’s 15 goals and eight assists in 33 appearances across all competitions, his overall play have been unprecedented culminating in former Super Eagles Captain and Coach, Sunday Oliseh, describing him as ‘unstoppable’

To say that Super Eagle forward, Ademola Lookman is having a season of his life would be stating the obvious. The 26-year-old had settled down very fast since joining Atalanta in 2022 and has not wound down since then.

As a testimony to his blistering form, the U21 World Cup winner with England was  recently included in the Serie A Team of the Month for April, compiled by football facts and statistics website, whoscored.com.

Indeed, qualifying Atalanta for next season’s UEFA Champions League is now his immediate target and Lookman put his money where his mouth is in his club last league game against Roma, scoring one and assisting the other in the 2-0 defeat of the Capital club.

Ahead of the Serie A fixture with Roma, Lookman in an interview with DAZN, admitted to Roma’s strengths but did not shy away from expressing confidence in his own teammates.

“This game will be crucial for the Champions League race,” said the Nigerian forward.

“Roma are a strong team, but so are we. We know that every match is difficult but we are ready to try to win them all from here on out until the end of the season.”

Lookman insisted that Atalanta will keep pushing hard to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.

La Dea currently occupy sixth position on the Serie A table following Sunday night’s 2-0 home win against Empoli.

Five teams will represent Italy in Europe next season. AS Roma sit in fifth position on the table and have played one game more than Gian Piero Gasperini’s side.

Lookman stated that Atalanta’s are desperate to play in the Champions League next year.

“This victory is very important because we have to reach the Champions League. We also have commitments in the Italian Cup and the Europa League, winning today was important,” he said as per Napoli Magazine.

The Nigeria forward again earned the plaudits of his Italian club, Atalanta, after delivering a goal and an assist in extra time during their 4-1 win over Fiorentina in the second leg of their Coppa Italia semi-finals game last Wednesday.

Lookman came on with 20 minutes to the end of regular time, when the scoreline was tied 2-2 on aggregate and scored four minutes into extra time to make the score 3-1 and 3-2 on aggregate, before setting up Mario Pasalic for the icing on the cake in the 98th minute to seal a 4-2 aggregate victory.

Having lost the first leg 1-0, Atalanta scored early through Teun Koopmeiners but Lucas Martinez Quarta struck for Fiorentina after half-time while Gianluca Scamacca scored a scissors kick to level the tie, before Lookman’s heroics settled it.

In the wake of reaching the cup final, where they will face Juventus May 15, Atalanta singled out Lookman for praise on Thursday by sharing a video of his goal during the game. “Look how this man carried us to the final,” the club captioned the video on their X handle.

He also currently ranks among the five players who have scored more than 20 goals and also provided more than 10 assists in the Serie A since the start of last season.

Little wonder former Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh said, “He is unstoppable”.

Oliseh has praised the Nigerian forward following his impressive performances for Atalanta so far this season.

Lookman has been superb for Atalanta since he joined from RB Leipzig in 2022 for €9.35 million. The Nigerian attacker had previous stints at Everton, Leipzig, Fulham, and Leicester City, but he has adjusted quite quickly to life in Italy in his first seasons.

Last season, the 26-year-old forward registered 15 goals and eight assists in 33 appearances across all competitions. But this season, Lookman has provided 11 goals and seven assists in 37 games for La Dea.

He has been on a good run recently, registering two goals and three assists in his last three games. And his performances have turned heads.

Former Nigeria coach, Oliseh has also been impressed, as he shared his opinion on a video of Lookman’s solo goal against Empoli on Sunday.

“Ademola Lookman is simply unstoppable on a good day. Love watching this man play,” Oliseh wrote on X.

Lookman was in action for Atalanta as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Marseille in the first leg of their Europa League semifinal at the Orange Vélodrome Stadium on Thursday night.

The Nigeria international hopped off the bench in the 59th minute for his ninth appearance in this season’s Europa League and had an opportunity to score the winner shortly after his introduction but blazed his effort wide from a tight angle.

Speaking post-match, Lookman told UEFA’s official website: “We started off with a good goal, a good start, we went 1-0 up. They obviously got their goal 1-1. So it was a pretty even game.

“They had chances, we had chances. Ultimately 1-1 away from home is a positive result so next game we’ll look to hopefully be in the final.”

Atalanta are in the semifinal of a European competition for the first time in 36 years and have a real chance of getting to the final for the first time in their history.

Lookman believes the return leg next week at Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo will be a big game.  “It’s massive. It’s massive for the club. For us players and staff to experience this and to hopefully be in the final is massive. So you know, full concentration and full focus on that game.”

Atalanta are currently sixth in the Serie A, but if they win their remaining games this season, they will finish fifth and qualify for the UEFA Champions League. La Dea are also in the finals of the Italian Cup. Coach Gian Pero Gasperini will be hoping that Lookman can continue his impressive form and help Atalanta end the campaign on a high.