Brendan Rodgers reveals transfer regret over Ademola Lookman during Leicester reign

With a hat-trick of his own, Lookman ended Bayer Leverkusen’s 51-game winning streak and won the Europa League, marking the first hat-trick in a one-leg European final since Pierino Prati’s for AC Milan in 1969. Lookman started for Atalanta.With a hat-trick of his own, Lookman ended Bayer Leverkusen’s 51-game winning streak and won the Europa League, marking the first hat-trick in a one-leg European final since Pierino Prati’s for AC Milan in 1969. Lookman started for Atalanta.
In addition, Atalanta won their first trophy in sixty-one years, defeating Sporting, Liverpool, and Marseille en route to victory in Dublin. However, Lookman will receive all the credit for his outstanding effort.

The 26-year-old’s path to reach this point has been a lengthy one, having come up through the Charlton academy.is currently made up of stops at Everton, RB Leipzig, and Fulham, but Rodgers, the Celtics manager, recalls mentoring him at Leicester.

In an interview with Alan Brazil and Gabriel Agbonlahor on talkSPORT Breakfast, Rodgers reflected on his time at Leicester in 2021–2022, when he brought the attacker in on loan from RB Leipzig but decided not to sign him long-term.

The one disappointing thing for us [at Leicester] at the end of that season was that, looking back to that summer, we were unable to buy any players, even though we could have acquired him for £14 million, he said to talkSPORT.

“Lee Congerton, one of my guys with whom I worked closely at Celtic and Leicester, was the general manager of Atalanta at the time.

“He took him to Atalanta when he realized we wouldn’t be able to take him, and he did fantastically there, which is why I am so delighted about the goals he scored! Particularly the third and second ones.

“He scored some incredible goals for me while I was at Leicester. He also scored the game-winning goal at home against Liverpool—a fantastic individual effort.

“However, I am incredibly happy for him because he has traveled the globe to become the greatest player he can be, and I am thrilled that he has succeeded.” his abilities on a significant occasion.”

Since joining Atalanta in the summer of 2022, Lookman has been a great hit. In 75 appearances over the course of two seasons, he has scored 30 goals, including his historic hat-trick in Wednesday’s Europa League final.

The Nigerian international scored eight goals in 42 games while at Leicester, but FFP issues at the King Power Stadium contributed to the decision not to extend his loan.

Rodgers’ season was terrible as a result, and he was fired in the middle of the season when the Foxes were demoted to the Championship.

“I was so, so happy for him watching the game last night,” Rodgers continued. Rewinding to my first night at Celtic, I got to know Ade just as he was about to leave Charlton.

“At the time, we had attempted to bring him up here, but because the window was closing so soon, we wouldn’t have been able to finance him.

“He ultimately transferred to Everton because the money was too great. Because we were continuously in touch, we were able to take advantage of the opportunity to take put him on credit.