Gian Piero Gasperini hints Duvan Zapata will remain with Atalanta after record signing El Bilal Toure’s shock injury, while he expects a lot from Charles De Ketelaere and Gianluca Scamacca.
Their season kicks off on Sunday against Sassuolo at 17.30 UK time (16.30 GMT).
La Dea will be without Hans Hateboer, Michel Adopo and suspended Nicolò Cambiaghi, but above all club record purchase Toure could be out for several months after a serious injury.
“He was very eager to get started and the spotlight was on him for the expensive transfer, but nobody expected this type of injury. Now we must wait and see what the recovery time will be,” said the coach in his press conference.
Inevitably, if it is a long-term absence, then the negotiations for a Duvan Zapata move to Roma will be abandoned, while Luis Muriel’s future is back in doubt too.
“Atalanta made some important investments to bring down the average age in attack, but Muriel and Zapata are guarantees. Duvan has recovered and is training regularly, he is in better shape than the others, so could well start tomorrow. It is difficult to know what will happen in the last days of the transfer window, but Duvan is today an Atalanta player.”
Gasperini also suggested he will break in the other new signings slowly, including former West Ham striker Scamacca and ex-Milan flop De Ketelaere.
“They showed good quality in training, it’s up to us to help these players emerge and show what they can do in a match situation. De Ketelaere was fortunate enough to work with a fine coach like Stefano Pioli, so that should make his introduction easier.”
There have been some comparisons between De Ketelaere and former Atalanta hero Josip Ilicic, who was also known for his general lack of consistency throughout his career, finding more freedom with Gasperini.
“I see some similarities in their characteristics, but De Ketelaere is a different type of player.”
The investments have also seen Atalanta fans raise their expectations, so what is the target for this season?
“I hope the fans don’t expect to win everything, but we’ll do our best!”