Juric confirms no Atalanta return for Lookman vs. Lecce: ‘Truly unpleasant situation’ | OneFootball

Atalanta head coach Ivan Juric has confirmed that Ademola Lookman will not be making his Atalanta return against Lecce in Serie A this weekend, describing the situation as ‘very difficult’ and ‘truly unpleasant’.

Lookman has not featured for Atalanta since the end of the 2024-25 campaign, neither in competitive fixtures, nor in pre-season friendlies.

He had been pushing for a move away from the club during the summer transfer window, and had seen a €45m bid from Inter turned down by his current employers at the beginning of August.

BERGAMO, ITALY – APRIL 06: Ademola Lookman of Atalanta warms up prior to the Serie A match between Atalanta and SS Lazio at Gewiss Stadium on April 06, 2025 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Atalanta’s decision to turn down Inter’s offer led to Lookman handing in a formal transfer request and publishing a long statement on his social media profiles accusing the club of breaking promises and treating him poorly on a personal and professional level.

The Nigeria international then returned to the UK to train individually, and only returned to Atalanta after his Inter move was definitively called off. That was less than a week before the start of the 2025-26 Serie A season.

While he has been back in Bergamo for the last few weeks, barring the recent international break, Lookman has still largely trained on his own.

Juric confirms Lookman will not be called up for Atalanta-Lecce

There had been reports on Friday that Juric was leaning towards handing Lookman his Atalanta return against Lecce in Serie A this weekend, as long as he trained adequately during the final session on Saturday.

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)

Speaking at his pre-match press conference, however, Juric has taken a damning stance on the situation and has confirmed that Lookman will not be involved.

“Ademola will not be ready for tomorrow,” Juric confirmed (via TMW).

“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.”