It’s clear to everyone how Mateo Retegui had a devastating impact on the world Atalanta. Alejandro Gomez he talked about it in a long interview given to The Echo of Bergamo: “For me it’s not a surprise. I already knew him when he was at Tigre, I knew he had everything to do well. When he arrived in Bergamo I wrote to him: ‘If you are intelligent and follow Gasperini, you will score at least 20 goals’. He is proving to be a great striker.”
Is he the new Zapata?
“Difficult, Duvan was devastating, the defenders were afraid of him. Retegui is different, but he has all the qualities to leave his mark.”
Is Lookman comparable to you?
“He’s not like me. He’s hungry for goals, I was more hungry for assists. His ability to target his man throughout the game is impressive, he’s grown a lot in team play, you can see that he talks to his teammates and integrates best into Gasperini’s system”.
Does De Ketelaere remind you of Ilicic?
“Partly yes because he is tall, physical, scores similar goals and is left-footed, but he doesn’t have the same imagination as Ilicic. He can improve, he needs time to adapt to Gasperini’s football and he is proving to have great quality.”
Zaniolo on the other hand is struggling.
“I don’t see him as a center forward or even as an attacking midfielder, the problem is where to make him play. He has talent and physique, but he has to find the right role.”