Atalanta against disassembling squad after Champions League loss

Atalanta intend to keep hold of their players unless and until an irresistible transfer offer comes along, asserts Antonio Percassi.

Atalanta scripted a fairytale as they performed well beyond expectations in the 2019/20 season – finishing third in the Serie A and reaching the quarter-finals of Champions League.

Without the help of household names and even without spending significantly in the transfer market, Gian Piero Gasperini managed to build one of the most tactically astute teams going forward not just in Italy but in all of Europe.

Their attacking threat is evident from the fact that they scored a whopping 98 goals in Serie A last season, more than the likes of Juventus, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, and Liverpool.

Several players sharing the goalscoring burden contributed a lot to their immense attacking strength. Josip Ilicic, Duvan Zapata, Luis Muriel, Robin Gosens, and Mario Pasalic all scored at least 10 goals across all competitions.

Their Cinderella story of a season finally ended on Wednesday night with a 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. And following the loss, clubs across Europe might be targeting their players.

President Antonio Percassi, however, seems he is not ready to let go of the club’s stars.

“Several players will be targeted, not just Duvan Zapata,” he told according to Football Italia.

“We will do everything we can to keep them, unless there are figures that are impossible to refuse. The goal is to keep the best and integrate them with others.”