Gian Piero Gasperini won the Europa League with Atalanta and confirms he received offers from England this summer, but ‘I love Italy too much’ to leave.
The 66-year-old finally managed to put some silverware in his trophy cabinet when leading Atalanta to Europa League glory, beating Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the Final.
He confessed that he was tempted by a proposal and everyone assumed it was Napoli, but it seems there were offers from the Premier League as well.
Is Gasperini ready to go abroad?
“No, I won’t go now,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport in a video interview.
“I had received an offer recently, it was very nice and came from England. It emerged recently… This year I won the cup and proposals came from abroad too, but I love Italy too much.”
Gasperini was impressed by the atmosphere at Anfield when Atalanta won 3-0 there in the Europa League this season, but he warned there is more to life than football.
“When I go abroad I think ‘oh how lovely, look at the atmosphere,’ but then what do I do from Monday to Saturday?!”
Gasperini forged an era with Atalanta
It doesn’t look as if he is straying from Bergamo, as after an eight-year stay he is discussing a new extended contract with Atalanta.
More than just a coach, Gasperini has also been able to get the best out of players who had struggled elsewhere, like Charles De Ketelaere at Milan and Gianluca Scamacca with West Ham United.
“In my view, the further away from the goal, the more you make life difficult for De Ketelaere. He tends to track back and tie the midfield to the attack, which can work in some situations, but he needs to be a forward. And when I say forward, you either score goals or create them.
“As for Scamacca, he worked himself to death in training. He’s a good guy, although you might assume otherwise seeing all those tattoos.”