Nigeria Legend Yakubu Calls For Ademola Lookman To Put Atalanta Issues Behind Him Before AFCON

Former Premier League star Yakubu has called for Ademola Lookman to put his Atalanta struggles to one side as AFCON looms.

Yakubu Wants More From Ademola Lookman Ahead Of AFCON

Ademola Lookman has started to find form after a difficult spell with Atalanta and Yakubu has pushed for these performances to continue before AFCON begins – claiming that the Nigerian has not been the ‘Lookman that we know’.

During the 2025 summer window, Lookman took to social media to reveal his desire over leaving Atalanta and refused to take part in any training sessions during pre-season.

La Dea rejected multiple offers from Inter Milan and Bayern Munich, meaning the 28-year-old was forced to pay several fines and return to the Atalanta squad.

Lookman was not the only to push for a move elsewhere in the summer, as Brazilian midfielder Ederson was also tempted by other options and the Atalanta midfielder is still considering a Premier League switch.

After 11 appearances across all competitions, Lookman had scored just one-goal and was failing to show signs of the player that scored a hat-trick in the Europa League final for the first time in history back in May 2024.

However, the Nigerian international has started to put these underwhelming performances behind him and Lookman has now contributed to three-goals in his last two appearances (all competitions).

The former Premier League star registered a goal and assist during Atalanta’s 3-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in MD5 of the Champions League, before scoring again during La Dea’s 2-0 triumph over Fiorentina in Serie A on November 30th.

Hitting this form will not only be a boost to Atalanta, but also the Nigerian national team as AFCON is right around the corner – beginning on December 21st.

Yakubu, who accumulated 57 caps for the Super Eagles, revealed in a recent interview with SportsCasting, that Lookman needs to put his Atalanta struggles to one side and get back to his best for the upcoming tournament.

Yakubu told Sportscasting: “It’s just a shame we didn’t see the best of Ademola Lookman in qualifying. He is another good player. It’s just the situation with his club [is difficult].

“I hope he gets back to his best before the AFCON, so that he can help us. We did miss him in the qualifiers, for the games we played, we really missed him because he was not the Lookman that we know. Sometimes football is up and down, but he is another good one.”

Raffaele Palladino Pushes For Lookman Contract

Raffaele Palladino took the reins in Bergamo after Ivan Juric parted ways with the club at the beginning of November and the Italian has picked up two-wins from three matches so far.

The Atalanta manager is looking to rival the likes of Antonio Conte, Luciano Spalletti, Gian Piero Gasperini and Massimiliano Allegri as the best Italian coach in Serie A.

Rivaling the AC Milan boss will be a difficult task as the Rossoneri sit top of the table, but Massimiliano Allegri was sent off during his side’s 1-0 win over Lazio on November 29th.

In order to rival the likes of Allegri, Palladino will need to keep a hold of his star players and the Atalanta manager is now looking to end Lookman’s contract saga in 2026.

The Nigerian’s deal with La Dea does not expire until June 2027, but Lookman may push for another move away next summer if Atalanta do not make an appropriate offer.