Atalanta Manager Gasperini Reveals Premier League Interest

Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini recently disclosed he received an unexpected offer to manage a Premier League club following his team’s Europa League triumph. The Italian side secured the Europa League title last week, ending Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten streak for the season. Ademola Lookman starred with a hat-trick for Atalanta, earning a rare perfect 10 rating from French outlet L’Equipe a distinction achieved by only 16 players in football history. For the 66-year-old Gasperini, this victory marked his first European trophy after years of building a dynamic, attacking team at Atalanta. Despite the sales of key players like Rasmus Hojlund, Gianluca Mancini and Cristian Romero in recent seasons, Atalanta remains one of the most entertaining teams in European football.

While Gasperini has been with Atalanta for eight years and has shown little inclination to leave, he confirmed receiving a proposal from a Premier League club to take over as their manager next season.  In a video interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Gasperini stated, “I’ve received an important proposal from a Premier League club in recent days, weeks. I can’t accept and leave Italy now. I feel good here, and I’m planning my future here with Atalanta. When I go abroad I think, ‘Oh, how lovely, look at the atmosphere’. But then, ‘What do I do from Monday to Saturday?'”

Gasperini did not reveal the identity of the English club but Brighton and Chelsea have both been searching for new managers recently. Throughout his career, Gasperini, a former midfielder, has exclusively managed in Italy. He started as a youth coach with Juventus from 1994 to 2003, then managed Crotone (twice), Genoa, Inter Milan, Palermo (twice) and Genoa again. The Europa League victory is his first professional trophy and he was named Serie A’s Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2020.