Atalanta‘s majority stakeholder Stephen Pagliuca admits he considered buying Liverpool 15 years ago but La Dea ‘has everything we were looking for in a football club.’
The co-chairman of Bain Capital and the Boston Celtics, who had acquired a majority stake in the Serie A side in 2022, spoke at the Business of Football Summit, held in London on Wednesday.
“We looked at different assets, including Liverpool 15 years ago, but Atalanta were excellent for us. Very well managed and with no risk of relegation,” he said, as quoted by Gazzetta.
“We immediately loved Atalanta because they have an excellent youth sector and have been able to launch many talents. They were among the title contenders, it had all we were looking for.”
Despite the club’s acquisition a year ago, Atalanta are still run by the Percassi family, who brought the club from playing in Serie B to Champions League football in barely a decade.
“I’ve learned a lot from the Percassi family, how they managed the club and what they know about football,” said Pagliuca.
“There’s a lot of passion both in Boston and Bergamo. The biggest issue is that sometimes clubs can be in trouble as there are no limitations like in the NBA or NFL. This is especially true in the USA, where the salary cap controls wages.
“I think that 10 Serie A clubs out of 20 have American owners and I am sure they are all working to create a great league and bring the big champions back to Italy.
“It’s all about the Financial Fair Play. I praise leagues that ensure every club, from Juventus to mine, follows the same rules. NBA is fantastic for this reason, everyone has the same rules.
“Atalanta can become a big brand in world football and we are already finding solutions to monetise our followers.”
Atalanta are currently in the race for a Champions League placement in Serie A with 41 points in 24 games, four below Lazio in fourth.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s men have lost three of the last five league games but remain one of the most entertaining teams in Serie A. They have the third-best attack in Italy’s top flight with 42 goals. Only Inter (44) and Napoli (58) have managed more than La Dea in 2022-23.