Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio, a club who previously had just one piece of silverware to their name – a Coppa Italia secured in 1963 – were crowned Champions of Europe in Dublin on Wednesday.
Up until 2011, Atalanta were somewhat of a yo-yo club, enduring four promotions and three relegations in the space of eleven years. Yet, the side from Bergamo stabilised in Serie A and became ever-present in European competitions.
La Dea have competed in either the Champions League or the Europa League for six of the last seven seasons – a remarkable achievement for the side who suffered a 26-year hiatus from European competitions between 1991 and 2017.
Their recruitment policy is admirable and centred around profitability, investing in players who are either undervalued or expected to increase in value. Another critical component of the club’s long-term vision is framing the academy as a focal point, a model that has become increasingly prominent, with clubs in England, such as Brighton and Brentford, enjoying relative success.Embed from Getty Images
Atalanta have built one of the best youth academies in the world, and they use this to their benefit. Rather than having a traditional Under-23s side, the newly crowned Europa League winners have a team in Serie C – throwing their prospects straight into the deep end.
The idea is that their talents are exposed to senior football – without requiring a loan – accelerating physical and technical development.
Their scouting set-up is incredible, with a clear philosophy throughout the club: the scouting network searches for talents suited to Atalanta’s attacking style of play.
The fluid process of nurturing players to become accustomed to the system from the early academy provides as much protection as possible for the club’s investment. Pivotal to the operation is the lack of external loans because it removes the interference of actors who do not have a long-term interest in the player’s development.
Atalanta’s supreme recruitment sees players trickle through to the senior side regularly. The Italian outfit utilises academy products for a couple of seasons before cashing in and achieving huge profits on sales. The cash is reinvested into the starting eleven or the youth system, creating the perfect storm of an endless pool of talent.
In the eight years under Gian Piero Gasperini, Atalanta has a net spending profit of €157 million, exemplifying how effective their model is – ensuring stability while remaining competitive. Pound for pound (or perhaps euro for euro), they are the best-run club in the world, and Wednesday’s Europa League win was a deserved reward.
Alongside prioritising youth, their intelligent transfer policy targets undervalued players or those who are deemed to have a high ceiling but have yet to exhibit that talent. The prime example is Ademola Lookman – the Nigerian seemed a lost soul at his former clubs. However, the move to Bergamo has reinvigorated his career.
The Wandsworth-born attacker has spent two seasons in the Lombardy region, having an incredible impact. In his first campaign, he was the club’s top goalscorer – netting 15 goals as Atalanta finished 5th in the Serie A. This term, he has been equally impressive, with the mere €15m transfer fee proving a steal. The winger scored the first-ever hat trick in a Europa League final, capturing Atalanta’s first trophy in 61 years; it’s fair to suggest he’s paid the transfer fee back.
After the final, the Atalanta boss had high praise for Lookman, providing insight into the recruitment process that brought the attacker to the club in 2022.
“He [Lookman] was at Leicester, he was a Leipzig player on loan. We had a senior manager that worked at Leicester that saw they had the opportunity to bring him in from Everton, but we never imagined that he could make this much progress,” expressed Gasperini.
“He wasn’t overly prolific in England. I changed his position a little bit and played him in a slightly more attacking role – this season, he’s had a great year. Tonight, he achieved something that will remain in the annals of footballing history: a stunning hat trick. He’s really carried himself as an incredible player, a decisive player, a matchwinner.”
The quick transfer flip of Rasmus Højlund points towards how shrewd Atalanta’s model is. They signed the forward in 2022 for a reported fee of €17 million and sold him the following season for close to €85 million. Similar can be said for Dejan Kulusevski, Cristian Romero and Alessandro Bastoni, among many others.
Despite securing the UEFA Cup, Atalanta have only just started their journey to success. The Italian side will be aiming to continue their progression, with making it out of the reformatted league phase of the Champions League in their sights.
Becoming one of Europe’s elite was at the heart of Atalanta’s project, and Wednesday’s success, coupled with their phenomenal structure, shows that they are not far away.
Gasperini reviewed Atalanta’s incredible run to Dublin as they were crowned Europa League winners: “Making the Europa League final was already a significant achievement, but it’s even more prestigious to now win the trophy. We’ve won it against top teams. We came up against almost all domestic champions, and that gives even more prestige and gloss to our triumph.”
While La Dea had already guaranteed Champions League participation through Serie A, becoming the 30th club to win the Europa League comes with a huge pay package – a good start for another profitable season.
The side from Bergamo will hope that their profit will lead to even more success as they attempt to compete with the likes of Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan for the Serie A title.
Domestically, Atalanta’s Europa League success suggests they are not far away from a potential title bid. The Italian side should continue to improve in the summer, inevitably making more sales. But, with their ridiculous talent identification, no outgoing will phase the club, who will almost certainly find another gem to fill any voids.
Giovanni Sartori and Gian Piero Gasperini have built an incredible project at Atalanta. Clubs of similar standing should be looking to take a leaf out of their book. They have turned a dream into a reality through astute management – taking Atalanta from the Serie B to Europa League winners in eight years.
Gasperini reflected on the remarkable process which has seen the club reap the rewards of investing in their youth and maintaining financial stability.
“We’ve done so while making sure we balance the books or even make a profit, and that’s the most exceptional element of this club. Typically in Europe and above all in Italy, the clubs that are winning struggle to keep costs down, whereas Atalanta has managed to win things while still being a financially sustainable club, and that’s why the club deserves great credit.”
“Winning the Europa League with Atalanta is perhaps one of those footballing fairy tales that very rarely crop up, and it does give scope for meritocracy. There’s still scope for ideas, and it doesn’t only come down to cold, hard numbers and super leagues. But, other teams who don’t have huge budgets can still achieve great things.”
Thumbnail Image: UEFA