Former Nigeria international goalkeeper Emmanuel Babayaro recently offered his take on the reason why Super Eagles and Atletico Madrid forward Ademola Lookman struggled to impress during his time in the Premier League, Footynaija.com reports.
Before Lookman evolved into one of the most exciting attacking talents to watch across Europe’s top five leagues, the Nigeria international previously endured underwhelming spells with Everton, Fulham and Leicester City in the Premier League.
Across all his stints with the three Premier League clubs, Lookman made 125 appearances and managed just 16 goals. But his time at Atalanta produced significantly higher numbers with the Super Eagles star racking up 55 goals in 137 outings.
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According to Babayaro, the stark difference in returns between Lookman’s time in the Premier League and Serie A could’ve been down to the difference in the existent styles of play prevalent in both leagues.
“When you consider how he [Lookman] did not perform in England and then went on to work wonders in other parts of the world, do you think his style of play was probably part of the reason why he never really fitted in the United Kingdom?” the former goalkeeper said on the ATHLST Podcast.
“Lookman likes to play with ease and style. He likes to play without too much pressure. He has that creativity; give him the ball, and he’s able to do things, but in England, you have microseconds before something happens. A lot of times, the pressure is on you to release the ball.”
Lookman’s impressive stint at Atalanta produced both collective and individual success, ultimately earning him a big move to Spanish La Liga giants Atletico Madrid during the 2026 January transfer window.
At Atletico, the former African Player of the Year has enjoyed a strong start to life, registering six goals contributions (4 goals and 2 assists) in six starts to immediately justify the faith placed in him by Los Rojiblancos boss Diego Simeone.
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