Teun Koopmeiners decided the Verona contest with a strike to help Atalanta gain their first away victory of the season and enter the top four, waiting for Fiorentina’s result. The Dutchman was in demand in the summer, but La Dea didn’t really entertain the offers, Calciomercato informs.
Gian Piero Gasperini showered his staple with praise following the match.
“He came here as a defensive midfielder and was playing very low on the pitch. I thought he was more dynamic than that. Plus, he has an incredible shot that can allow him to score a lot. There were some requests in the past window.”
According to the outlet, Atalanta turned down €37M from Napoli. They leveraged the fact that the Dutch maestro extended his contract just a year ago, postponing its conclusion to 2027 and receiving a pay bump to €2.8M.
The star voiced his desire to play in the Champions League after the Partenopei showed interest but didn’t push to leave. The Azzurri are unlikely to give up the chase, though.
Our Take on Koopmeiners
Using him as a mobile regista starting from the no.10 position turned their season around in 2022/2023. They have a lot more balance, plus he’s a menace whenever he gets the ball in the final third. The offer was proper. In hindsight, the Scudetto holders could have used a midfielder since Elijf Elmas is playing almost exclusively on the wings. They surely tried but came up empty-handed.
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