Everything Juric said about Lookman: ‘I shouldn’t have to beg him to play’ | OneFootball

Atalanta head coach Ivan Juric has taken a damning stance on star forward Ademola Lookman, who will continue to be left out of the Dea matchday squad for Sunday’s Serie A match against Lecce: ‘I shouldn’t have to beg him to play’.

Lookman has not played competitively, or in any pre-season friendlies for Atalanta since the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

He had seen a move to Inter fall through during the summer transfer window, which led to a series of unfortunate events, including the submission of a formal transfer request, his publishing of a statement going against the club and his return to the UK to train individually for several weeks.

EMPOLI, ITALY – FEBRUARY 23: Ademola Lookman of Atalanta BC reacts during the Serie A match between Empoli and Atalanta at Stadio Carlo Castellani on February 23, 2025 in Empoli, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

Lookman returned to Atalanta five days before the start of the 2025-26 Serie A season, and has continued to be left out of Juric’s squad since then.

Though there had been reports on Friday that the Atalanta head coach was nearing a decision to include Lookman in his plans for Lecce on Sunday, Juric has since confirmed that this will not be the case.

What Juric said about Lookman in Atalanta press conference

BERGAMO, ITALY – AUGUST 24: Ivan Juric, Head Coach of Atalanta BC looks on during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and Pisa SC at Gewiss Stadium on August 24, 2025 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images)

“Ademola will not be ready for tomorrow,” Juric said during his pre-match press conference.

“A truly unpleasant and difficult situation,” he continued. “As a coach, I felt that we needed other things: Spirit, humility, passion for the shirt. We need to do better and also take responsibility. You need a sense of belonging.

“I have a very good relationship with Lookman,” Juric insisted. “But, I shouldn’t have to beg him to play. It works the other way around. We are Atalanta and he represents the city. We need what Atalanta represents: Hard work, humility, these are different values.

“I shouldn’t have to plead to anyone. We’re all convinced that Atalanta needs strong values on a personal level.”