Atalanta boss reveals he received shock Premier League job offer after winning Europa League

Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini has revealed he received a shock offer to take over a Premier League club after winning the Europa League.

The Italian side won the Europa League last week, ending Bayer Leverkusen's season-long unbeaten run in all competitions in the process.

Ademola Lookman scored a hat-trick for the Bergamo side, and became just the 16th player in football history to earn a prestigious 10 rating from French outlet L'Equipe.

For Gasperini, the 66-year-old finally got his hands on a European trophy after years of building a dynamic, attacking Atalanta side.

The Italian side are seen as one of the best teams to watch in European football, with Gasperini also having had to deal with the sales of important players such as Rasmus Hojlund, Gianluca Mancini and Cristian Romero in recent seasons.

Fans may not have expected the Italian to have received a Premier League offer, though, given he has spent eight years at Atalanta and shown little indication of ever wanting to leave.

However, the man himself has confirmed that a club from the Premier League did indeed send him a proposal to become their new manager from next season.

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport in a recent video interview, Gasperini said: "I've received an important proposal from a Premier League club in the recent days, weeks.

"I can't accept and leave Italy now. I feel good here, and I'm planning my future here with Atalanta.

"When I go abroad I think, 'Oh, how lovely, look at the atmosphere'. But then, 'What do I do from Monday to Saturday?'"

Gasperini did not confirm the identity of the English club, but both Brighton and Chelsea have been searching for new managers in recent weeks.

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Gasperini, who had a successful playing career as a midfielder, has spent his entire managerial career in Italy.

He began his career as a youth coach with Juventus between 1994 and 2003, before spells at Crotone (twice), Genoa, Inter Milan, Palermo (twice) and Genoa.

The Europa League was his first trophy in professional football, having been named as Serie A's Coach of the Year in both 2019 and 2020.