Gian Piero Gasperini says he won’t block Duvan Zapata’s exit if he pushes to leave and praises Charles De Ketelaere, but insists the Milan loanee is ‘not like Josip Ilicic.’
Zapata started in Atalanta‘s 2-0 win over Sassuolo on Sunday, but multiple reports in Italy claim he could become a new Roma player tomorrow.
“If he is fit, he can play, but I will never oppose his decision,” Gasperini told DAZN.
“I owe a lot to players like him and Muriel, who will decide what to do in agreement with the club. If they stay, I’ll be happy to coach them, if they leave, I’ll be equally happy for them.”
De Ketelaere broke the deadlock at minute 85, scoring his first Serie A goal. Is he the player Atalanta were lacking?
“Probably yes,” admitted Gasp.
“Many have compared him to Ilicic, but I’d say that it’s a bit early and that their characteristics are different. He comes from Milan, so he is more prepared than those coming from abroad. Everything he did was good today. There are still things to do, but this is the exciting part. He and Scamacca must get in shape and this is the best environment, they can only improve with time.
“The first half was balanced, but overall we put in a good performance and we deserved to win,” added Atalanta’s boss.
“It was really hot, but we raised the quality in the second half. We were focused defensively and this helped us to play well.”