José Mourinho has revealed that he had the opportunity to sign in-form Nigerian star Ademola Lookman. The Fenerbahce manager recounted how he was prevented from recruiting the Atalanta forward during his tenure at Italian side AS Roma in 2022.
The Nigerian international was recently voted 14th in the Ballon d’Or and remains the favorite in the race for the African Player of the Year Award. According to Mourinho, the head scout at Roma during the period José Fontes, recommended that Lookman, then at RB Leipzig, not be signed by the Roman side.
Fontes’ report painted a negative outlook on Lookman, criticizing his positional sense and decision-making ability on the ball. He stated further in the report,
“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.”
Roma, newly crowned Europa Conference League champions at the time, passed on the opportunity to sign the Nigerian as recommended by their chief scout. The forward then went on to join Atalanta under manager Gian Piero Gasperini. His record at the Bergamo side has served to prove Fontes wrong, much to Mourinho’s regret. Lookman has netted 39 goals for Gasperini’s side while providing 23 assists in 90 games. He also reached an iconic status among the club’s faithfuls with his performance at the 2024 Europa League final where he scored a hat-trick in Atalanta’s three-nil battering of German champions Bayer Leverkusen.
