With the Lookman situation now settled, although the player is still not ready for selection, and Teun Koopmeiners waiting to join Juventus, Gian Piero Gasperini’s post-match comments naturally leaned towards the transfer market. The Atalanta coach expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance despite the defeat to a strong Torino side. However, he remained cautious when discussing potential transfers, noting, “This squad has been unchanged for a while; since June and Dublin, we’ve lost 13 players, which is a lot given we only have 21 in total.”
Gasperini expressed disappointment regarding missed opportunities, including hitting the post, a missed penalty, and conceding a goal from a simple counterattack. The coach also mentioned the absence of one of their new signings from Torino, explaining, “We didn’t want to increase the already high tension; that was our choice.”
Additionally, when reminded that two new players, Cuadrado and Rui Patricio, would be available soon, he responded, “Am I satisfied with the market? I’ll tell you on Friday.”
He then shifted the focus to analyzing the match and individual performances, highlighting that in attack, only De Ketelaere remains from their previous setup two months ago. “We have valuable players, but we can’t always expect the maximum performance. I worry about managing the Champions League alongside all these matches. We’ll take them one at a time with the spirit we had today, against Lecce, and Real.”
Gasperini particularly praised De Ketelaere, stating, “He had a good game, but he lacked finishing. He had some good opportunities inside the box; partly the goalkeeper did well, and partly we missed the shot.”