Ademola Lookman was a transfer target for West Ham United just over a year ago. Now, he is firing Atletico Madrid into the semi-finals of the Champions League at Barcelona’s expense.
Diego Simeone’s two-time runners-up may have lost the battle at the Wanda Metropolitano, but they most certainly won the war.
Ademola Lookman’s strike on the half-hour mark on Wednesday night made sure of that. The fifth, final, and decisive goal of a thrilling tie between the two La Liga powerhouses.
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Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United celebrates after scoring a goal to make it 2-0 during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on February 7, 2026 in Manchester, United Kingdom.
Two years after Lookman produced one of the most scintillating performances ever in a major European final – a remarkable hat-trick firing Atalanta to a Europa League triumph over Bayer Leverkusen – a winger perennially linked with West Ham United is potentially just 270 minutes away from claiming the biggest prize in football.
West Ham United wanted Ademola Lookman from Atalanta
According to reporter Ben Jacobs, Ademola Lookman was ‘discussed internally’ by West Ham heading into the January 2025 transfer window.
A sprightly if inconsistent winger at Fulham, Leicester and Everton, Lookman blossomed into one of the continent’s most feared frontmen under legendary Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini. In 137 La Dea appearances, he struck 55 goals and provided 27 assists.
ademola lookman scores during Atletico de Madrid v FC Barcelona - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Quarter-Final Second Leg
Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images
The Mirror, a few months earlier, mentioned Lookman among a wide, varied list of attacking targets under consideration as former technical driector Tim Steidten looked to construct a squad in Julen Lopetegui’s image.
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Marcus Edwards is in-and-out of the Burnley XI these days. Callum O’Hare is facing another season of Championship football at Sheffield United, while Serhou Guirassy earned a Ballon D’Or nomination with Borussia Dortmund following a 38-goal campaign.
Lookman, though, is arguably the Steidten-era target who generates the greatest feeling of regret.
Atletico Madrid signed Lookman for just £30 million
Jacobs even reported, via Give Me Sport, that West Ham were ‘one of the more likely clubs that could eventually acquire Lookman’ at the time.
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Flash forward to January 2026, Atletico Madrid snapped up Lookman for just £30 million; a fraction of the fee demanded by Atalanta in previous windows.
West Ham, despite spending heavily on forwards Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe, had long since left the conversation when it came to realistic destinations for one of the hottest forwards in Europe’s major leagues.
From Conference League champions, European regulars and occasional top-six challengers to relegation-battlers; West Ham’s ability to compete with continental powerhouses like Atletico a thing of the past.
“He’s hit the ground running. It’s not easy to break into the team as he has,” Atletico legend Raul Garcia told Europa Press of the Wandsworth-born wizard, whose Champions league quarter-final winner was his tenth goal contribution in 17 games under Simeone.
“I think he’s a world-class player. I’m not surprised by what he’s doing.”
While few expected a former Leicester and Everton benchwarmer to take Europe by storm with Atalanta – he was known best at one point for that panenka miss against David Moyes’ Hammers – Lookman’s contributions on the biggest of stages are less surprising these days, and more the standard.
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