Turned down on two occasions – Tottenham Hotspur’s choice not to sign the player is now drawing scrutiny and looks increasingly like a misstep.
The forward completed a move from Atalanta BC to Atlético Madrid on February 1 and has since impressed under Diego Simeone.
He has registered four goals and three assists in 641 minutes across 12 appearances. Last week, he featured for 69 minutes in Atlético’s 5-2 Champions League victory over Tottenham Hotspur. Although he didn’t score or assist, his overall display was solid.
Atlético now face Spurs again in the last-16 second leg on Wednesday, giving him another chance to make an impact. Ahead of the clash, Spanish outlet AS highlighted the player’s previous failed moves to Tottenham with the headline: “Lookman faces the team that rejected him twice.”
The London-born Nigeria international previously played for Charlton Athletic, Everton FC, Leicester City FC, and Fulham FC before joining Atalanta from RB Leipzig for around €15m in August 2022.
During his time in Italy, he recorded 55 goals and 27 assists in 137 appearances and famously scored a hat-trick in the Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2023/24 season.
He pushed for a move away last summer without success but eventually secured a transfer in the winter window. Reports had linked him with Tottenham earlier in the season, and he was offered to the club both last summer and again in January. However, Spurs declined both opportunities, despite needing attacking reinforcements and having the financial capacity.
Instead, Tottenham moved for Conor Gallagher, signing him from Atlético for €40m. The decision to overlook Lookman—particularly in January—has since raised questions.
AS questioned the club’s stance, noting Tottenham’s poor form and injury concerns at the time, while emphasizing that Lookman matched the profile of a decisive winger they were seeking.
Since arriving in Spain, Ademola Lookman has been directly involved in seven goals. In that same period, Tottenham have managed just nine goals, with two coming against Manchester City on the day he joined Atlético.
Given his current form, Spurs may come to regret their decision not to bring him back to London—especially if he delivers against Igor Tudor’s side in their upcoming encounter.
