Gasperini: Will not renew contract with Atalanta, Serie A championship is the only goal

Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini made it clear on Saturday that he will not renew his contract after the end of this season.

Gasperini's contract with Atalanta was originally scheduled to expire in June this year, with an option to renew for another year. However, he said at the pre-match press conference before Atalanta's match against Empoli: "We will decide at the end of the season whether to fulfill the contract until the end or leave early. But what is certain is that there will be no possibility of continuing to coach. There will be no further renewal."

Gasperini, 67, has coached Juventus youth team, Crotone, Genoa, Inter Milan, Palermo and other teams, and is recognized as one of Italy's famous coaches. He has been the head coach of Atalanta since 2016, and has led the team to a record of 221 wins, 99 draws and 106 losses, and won the 2023/24 Europa League.

Atalanta currently ranks third in Serie A with 15 wins, 6 draws and 4 losses and 51 points, 6 points behind Inter Milan, the leader of the table, with one game less. Although he has no intention of renewing his contract, Gasperini still has his sights on the Serie A championship: "Atalanta's third place is a great achievement, and qualifying for the Europa League is also an excellent result. If you want to experience a different level of passion, you have to set your goals higher. Otherwise, everything else becomes secondary. My time is limited, and perhaps this season will be the last. As many people say, everything has a beginning and an end."

"As always, I expect the best results. There are still 13 rounds of the league, and we must believe that we can accomplish the seemingly impossible task. Only by truly believing can we achieve our goals. If you think that winning the championship is hopeless, it will never be out of reach; if you don't believe in the possibility of qualifying for the Champions League, it will never happen. We must maintain a more stable performance in the next 13 games and strive to make new breakthroughs in results. The most important thing is to always keep your faith, even if the goal seems out of reach."

"My goal is to lead the team to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks. Everyone has their own goals. Last June, the day after the Europa League final, I thought that the only thing that can bring happiness to people is... you should know. Qualifying for the Champions League? No. We have done everything else. The real joy can only be brought by winning the championship. I don't have much time. For me, the Serie A championship is the only goal."

As for the hotly debated Lukeman penalty controversy, Gasperini responded: "I feel that someone deliberately portrayed Atlanta as chaotic, but this is not the case. I always speak in front of the whole team, and this has never affected the club level. The players feel offended, but I have no intention of offending anyone."

"Lookman's performance against Brugge was extraordinary. His gesture was indeed generous, but it does not change my opinion."

"We did not feel the so-called huge chaos. The chairman affirmed the team's performance and we played our own style in the game the night before. It is indeed regrettable to be eliminated from the Champions League, but the 'chaos' you mentioned is more of a media hype. We will start again in the league."