Gian Piero Gasperini formally declared his intention to leave Atlanta on May 31.

 “Earlier, I didn’t have the opportunity to express this.  I only really made the decision to end this amazing nine-year chapter in the final few hours.  However, I don’t like saying goodbye, so let’s avoid that topic.  Here in Bergamo, I’m wrapping off my tenure as Atalanta’s coach; nothing else has changed.  I was the only one who decided to sever ties with the club.  “Neither the club nor its directors should be held accountable,” Gasperini said.

“I just knew that this was the right thing to do.  My only goal was to finish as high as possible with the squad during the season.  And I’m guaranteeing Champions League qualifying by dropping them to third place in the rankings.  Together with the club, we accomplished genuinely outstanding outcomes.  Although I had intended to do even more, we have both derived a great deal of joy from our work together, and I have no doubt that you will again feel the same sense of fulfillment.”

“It’s about the need for new motivations, the trust given to me, and the fresh inspiration that comes with it,” Gasperini said when asked why he was leaving Atalanta.  Is it a difficult task?  Of course.  However, it’s a big, thrilling one that makes me feel energized,” writer Gianluca Di Marzio reported the coach’s words.