Long-serving Charlton Athletic director Steve Avory has revealed that the club’s scouts didn’t pay much attention to Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman before he was promoted to the first team in 2015, PRIMANEWS Sports Extra reports.
Lookman was signed by the Addicks in 2013 at the age of 16 and made his debut for them in the Championship in 2015 before moving to Everton in 2017.
Avory has always been full of praise for the Atalanta forward since he broke out with the Italian club last season.
“This club had a tradition of producing young footballers who would come into the first team. Our mentality towards recruiting and developing young players was always to try and develop them to that level. But I have to say even our team of scouts at that time were not too aware of Ademola Lookman,” Avory said in a new documentary.
The 26-year-old, who finished his first season in the Serie A with 13 goals and eight assists in 31 appearances, also reflected on his time at the Charlton academy.
“Everybody just wanted to do better with themselves and wanted to achieve great things which was cool. Football is always my number one joy, my number one love and now I’m enjoying it every single day so it’s a blessing. I always look to learn and grow,” Lookman also said in the documentary.
Lookman made 49 appearances for Charlton before his transfer to Everton which forced him to make further loan moves to RB Leipzig, Fulham and Leicester City before finally joining Atalanta on a four-year contract for a reported fee of €15m.
“It hasn’t surprised me that he has coped with all of the different club environments he has been to. Because he is a young man who seems to just take things in his stride so well,” Avory said.
“We are talking about a young man here who is playing at the top level. He truly has made it. We want and hope that he continues doing that for good years to come,” he added.
This season, the Super Eagles forward has also contributed six goals and three assists in the Serie A, also reaching the round of 16 of the Europa League with the club.
