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No one saw Ademola Lookman’s move to Atletico Madrid coming.
The Super Eagles forward was always going to leave Atalanta following the events of last year.
Lookman was heavily courted by Inter Milan in the summer of 2026 and actually submitted a transfer request, looking to engineer a move from Bergamo.
Despite a few offers from Inter, Lookman ended up staying at Atalanta at the start of the season.
The 28-year-old was in and out of the team, meaning that he arrived for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nation in December a bit rusty.
“It was unfortunate. But it helped that he saw the back of Gasperini before his own departure,” JJ Omojuwa, a Nigerian author and publisher, tells DAILY POST.
“All said, he left Atalanta as a club legend. That’s all there is to that in the end. He left his name in the annals of their history and that of the Europa Cup.”
Lookman’s impressive showing at the AFCON saw suitors circle around him and he eventually picked Atletico ahead of Fenerbahce, closing the chapter on a turbulent period in Italy.
“Spain is the epicentre of football.
“I posted a ‘please don’t!’ reply to a report insinuating he was going to Fenerbahçe.
“I am glad he didn’t in the end. Atletico Madrid is a long distance from the levels of Fenerbahçe, even though the latter are giants in their own right,” Omojuwa insists.
Early doors, but it appears Lookman made the right decision.
The forward scored on his Atletico debut, as they thrashed Real Betis 5-0 in the quarter-final of the Copa del Rey.
Just to prove he is here to stay, Lookman scored and provided an assist, as they hammered Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of the semi-finals.
Omojuwa said: “Excellent. Couldn’t have asked for more.
“He brings a lot of flair and productivity to Atletico Madrid.
“Mola is about squeezing out an end product from every passage of play. That’s why he always delivers on the big stage.
“You can see in the goals and assists he is immediately contributing.
“It’s a roaring start. You’d hope he keeps that up because that could Atletico Madrid challenge again.”
Lookman will most likely be picked by Diego Simeone for Sunday’s LaLiga clash at Rayo Vallecano, as Atletico look to keep pace in the title race.
Due to his fine start, there will be added expectations on Lookman.
But Omojuwa has a little warning.
He said: “Football, like life, things can always change.
“But on the evidence of what he has done to this point and how he has started in Madrid, you’ve got to believe there is a lot more greatness ahead for our former African Player of the Year.”
Ademola Lookman finds life again in Spain after Atalanta debacle