Raspadori leaves Atletico to join Atalanta
Atalanta has officially announced the signing of Giacomo Raspadori from Atletico Madrid, and boss Raffaelle Palladino believes he will lift the team's attacking quality for the rest of the season.
Palladino confirmed the striker would be joining La Dea, and the club has reported he has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal.
The 25-year-old left Napoli for Atletico in the summer but scored just twice in 15 appearances in all competitions, while failing to find the back of the net in 12 LaLiga matches.
Raspadori has previously scored 31 goals and provided 15 assists in 164 Serie A appearances across his spells with Sassuolo and Napoli.
He scored six goals in Napoli’s Scudetto-winning campaign last season, with only Romelu Lukaku (14) and Scott McTominay (12) netting more often for Antonio Conte's men.
He has also scored 11 goals in 45 matches for Italy, with one of his appearances coming in its European championship triumph in 2021.
Atalanta has reportedly agreed to pay €23 million ($39.8 million) for the forward, strengthening Palladino's options as he looks to clinch European qualification.
"He's a strong player who has completed the attacking department. He has raised Atalanta's level," Palladino said.
"I've always liked him, and, being a very ambitious club, managed to bring him to Bergamo. We are strong in attack. Atalanta have many options thanks to Raspadori's arrival.
"Besides, [Lazar] Samardzic, [Charles] De Ketelaere, [Daniel] Maldini, [Ademola] Lookman and [Nikola] Krstovic are doing really well. They know they have to push in training, but I'm really happy with them.
"I have a team that is ready for anything, where everyone knows how to seize opportunities."
A debut at Stadio Romeo Anconetani on Saturday (AEDT) could come too soon for Raspadori, though, with Atalanta in action against Serie A struggling Pisa.
Atalanta has won four of its past five league matches, and Palladino has urged his team to continue that consistency if it is to challenge for a place in the top four.
"We must have the ambition to earn as many points as possible. We have taken a great path, and these lads deserve credit," Palladino said.
"We still haven't achieved anything, and our target is to get many more points than the 28 we got in the first half of the season.
"I'll ask for consistency, because this is a good moment and we have to ride it."
