Coach of Turkish side Fenerbahce Jose Mourinho has opened up on his failed attempt to sign Nigeria international forward Ademola Lookman during his time at Roma when the Nigeria was made available by RB Leipzig, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports .
According to a report on La Repubblica Mourinho had the chance to sign the Atalanta star in 2022 but Roma vetoed the plans on the advice of their head scout Jose Fontes.
Lookman was offered to Roma a few months before they won the Europa Conference League title, but after an evaluation by the team of the Giallorossi he was stopped from singing Lookman who finished 14th in the recent Ballon d’or, and the firm favorite to be crowned the Africa Player of the year.
The article specifies that then head scout Jose Fontes advised against signing Lookman due to “average positional sense, poor ability to anticipate after evaluating and making decisions after receiving the ball.”
Fontes’ report went on: “In the defensive phase he is elementary in terms of understanding the game. A player I have reservations about about his competitive mentality, his confidence and ability to perform under pressure.”
“He is very inconsistent in his performances. There are better solutions available to us and I would not recommend hiring him.”
The 27-year-old winger then decided to join Atalanta, where he has blossomed under the guidance of coach Gian Piero Gasperini. He boast of a record of 39 goals and 23 assist in 90 games in all competitions, and it includes the hattrick which handed them the Europa League title with a 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen.
