- Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has explained how he plans to deploy new signing Ademola Lookman
- Lookman started in a two-man attack alongside Antoine Griezmann on his debut against Real Betis
- Simeone has confirmed the criteria he will use to judge that Super Eagles star’s position in subsequent matches
Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone has explained how he plans to deploy Ademola Lookman after an impressive debut for the club on February 5, 2026.
Lookman played in a two-man attack during his debut against Real Betis and dazzled. He scored the third goal on his debut match and assisted his attack partner, Antoine Griezmann, for the fourth.
Source: Getty Images
As noted by Esto es Atleti, the Super Eagles attacker brought depth and dynamism to Atletico’s attack with his positioning, one-v-one ability and attacking spaces.
His performance and output suggest he was comfortable in the position, but Simeone has hinted that this could change in subsequent matches.
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Simeone speaks about Lookman’s position
Simeone, speaking ahead of playing Real Betis in the league, was asked about his new signing’s best position, and he suggested he could play multiple positions depending on the opponent and game plan.
“We will try to get to know each other little by little. He must get used to the team, and we must get used to his offensive characteristics, how he likes to attack, and we’ll see what best suits us,” he said as quoted by Fotmob.
Watch Diego Simeone’s comments about Lookman.
Simeone said that each team they will face is different, plays differently and has different players, and hence it will require a different approach.
He added that he does not want to build a one-man team, or a team that depends strictly on attackers, but a team that depends on all the players.
“I have no doubt that we don’t depend purely on goals from Griezmann, Lookman, Sorloth and Julian. We depend on the collective game, on set-pieces and everything we can generate together. It’s clear it’s not just the goals of the strikers that count,” he added.
Source: Getty Images
Lookman has played in six positions so far in his career, the most of which have come as a left winger and a second striker, the least of which were in left midfield and attacking midfield.
As noted by Transfermarkt, his return of 35 goals and 14 assists in 97 games as a second striker suggests it is the position in which he delivers the best attacking output.
However, fans saw another side of him during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, when Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle deployed him behind two strikers, Victor Osimhen and Akor Adams. He scored three goals and provided four assists.
Diego Simeone praises Ademola Lookman
Legit.ng reported that Simeone praised Ademola Lookman after the Super Eagles star’s impressive performance on his Atletico Madrid debut.
The Argentine manager admits that the 2024 African Footballer of the Year has different qualities from other players and can help the team.
Source: Legit.ng