By Wale Mustapha
Atalanta head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, has expressed confidence that with focused training and improvement, Ademola Lookman could evolve into the club’s first-choice penalty taker of the Serie A side .
The comment came in response to Lookman’s penalty miss during Atalanta’s UEFA Champions League defeat to Club Brugge.
Following the match, Gasperini criticized Lookman for taking the penalty, calling the Nigerian striker “one of the worst penalty kick takers” he had ever seen.
Lookman, however, hit back, claiming Gasperini’s remarks were disrespectful. In response, Gasperini clarified that his intention was not to offend the player, emphasizing that his outburst was meant to push the forward to improve his spot-kick technique.
“He entered with a fantastic approach against Club Brugge,” Gasperini told media.
“If he starts training to improve on penalties, with his exceptional skills, Ademola can become our first penalty taker.”
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
