Gasperini opens up Koopmeiners struggles at Juventus, refutes popular theory: “Not true” | OneFootball

Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini admits he’s not sure why Teun Koopmeiners hasn’t been able to display his best football since joining Juventus.

The Dutchman made his first strides in Italian football after signing for Atalanta in the summer of 2021. He quickly established himself as a regular feature, becoming a pupil of Gasperini.

After three years in Bergamo, the two men’s collaboration ended when the midfielder famously pushed for a move to Juventus in the summer of 2024.

Teun Koopmeiners (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

Prior to his exit, the 28-year-old provided the Atalanta management with three medical reports to justify his absence from training, before ultimately sealing a €60 million transfer to Turin.

While Juventus were delighted to finally sign their man after a nine-month pursuit, the player’s displays have left much to be desired.

Thiago Motta, Igor Tudor, and Luciano Spalletti have fielded him in various roles across the pitch, but the outcome has been largely underwhelming.

Gasperini not sure why Teun Koopmeiners is struggling at Juventus

Koopmeiners’ struggles at the Allianz Stadium solidified a popular theory in Italian football regarding former Atalanta players who perform well under Gasperini, but struggle elsewhere.

Nevertheless, the Roma head coach refuse to acknowledge this theory, citing some of his current players who have doing well in the Italian capital.

“It’s not true that the players I’ve coached then go on to do worse elsewhere,” said Gasperini in his pre-match press conference via Calciomercato.

“Here in Rome, we have the cases of Gianluca Mancini and Bryan Cristante, players I found more developed and mature. I also found them much stronger.

“I don’t know the reason why Koop hasn’t performed at his best; there are many variables. What I can certainly say is that he was a strong player in that Atalanta side.”

Koopmeinrs had contributed with 29 goals and 15 assists in his 129 appearances at Atalanta. Since joining Juventus, he has played 79 games across all competitions, scoring seven goals and providing four assists.