Alejandro Gomez has promised to reveal the “truth” about his alleged bust-up with coach Gian Piero Gasperini to Atalanta fans amid reports of a potential January exit.
Gomez has not played for Atalanta since being hauled off at half-time during a 1-1 draw with FC Midtjylland in the Champions League on December 1.
After seeing his side fall 1-0 down in the first half, Gasperini asked the 32-year-old to move from his number 10 role onto the right-hand side of midfield, but he refused.
The Atalanta boss responded by replacing Gomez with Josip Ilicic, and the Argentine was subsequently left out of the team’s final Group D win away at Ajax last week.
Gomez returned to Gasperini’s squad for a Serie A clash against Fiorentina on Sunday, but ended up being an unused substitute as Atalanta ran out 3-0 winners.
With the experienced frontman’s relationship with his manager now reported to be beyond repair, Atalanta have been tipped to sell the experienced frontman when the transfer window reopens.
Gomez claims he will divulge the true nature of recent events if he does indeed end up leaving, as he told his followers on Instagram: “Dear fans, I’m writing to you here because I have no other means to defend myself or talk to you.
“I just want to tell you that, when I leave, you will know the truth about everything.
“You know me well; you know who I am. I love you, your captain.”
However, Gasperini played down any suggestion of a rift with Gomez after Atalanta’s win over Fiorentina, insisting he has been tinkering with his team in order to keep everyone fresh heading into a congested festive period.
“We had played nine Serie A games and six in the Champions League, I think Gomez was the only one to play in all of them. We’ve been more solid recently with this new system and so we are trying other alternatives,” he told reporters.
“I consider it essential to keep changing and evolving. I have always been at clubs for quite a long time, at least usually. Around five years for a coach is a long time, so it’s essential to seek other alternatives.”
Asked if Atalanta will sanction Gomez’s departure in January, Gasperini responded: “That is not the case. I think the club has to make strong choices on how to set targets for the team and coach in future.
“That’s not necessarily results, but how to behave and approach games. We have to look to the future, because when you stop and get stuck in your ways, it ends up being like going backwards.
“If the coach is not in sync with his club, then it becomes a problem, but we always exchange ideas, there’s no issue.”
The Italian added: “I think Gomez has been our most important player over these five years, I said it many times, he was hardly ever out of the team. There are some situations…
“For example, after two years, Papu’s role was difficult in some games for the team to handle, because the opponents can change and adapt to neutralise you.
“At the basis of everything, we need trust and being open to listening. I don’t know how the situation will be resolved. It’s disappointing for Josip Ilicic, as he got dragged into this whole situation in the media and had nothing to do with it.”
