Everton and Serie A. It's chalk and cheese. Given the recent resurgence of the league's viewership powered by better branding and a weekly Osimhen-Kvaratshkelia magic show, in 2022/23 anyone would've picked Napoli's sky blue, over Everton's darker tone any day.

Given the Toffees' recent skirmishes with relegation to the Championship, it makes this particular power dynamic ever more emphatic.

In a sense, the Premier League has savaged talent pools around the world – tossing players back like defective fish if things go awry. A contrast to this though – is today's subject. As is said subject's current club.

Atalanta have benefitted from the Premier League, almost as much as it, itself has thrived off of Serie A. Not only was Rasmus Hojlund for £72m but in recent years – the Bergamo outfit have enjoyed consistent European football while filling their squad with Premier League excess.

There are Chelsea leftovers Mario Pasalic and Davide Zappacosta. Middlesbrough's Marten De Roon and West Ham's Gianluca Scamacca, are there too. Ever more in the face of Goodison's often booing masses is another player reborn; Ademola Lookman.

Where did Ademola Lookman come from?

From 2015, Ademola Lookman had been branded a "special" player by many, including journalist Jack Pitt-Brooke. He had come on to the Football League scene with excellent early displays for Charlton Athletic and in two seasons operating either on the left wing or up top, the 5 foot 9 fit of energy scored 12 goals deploying a raw tenacity that reflected his amateur football upbringing.

The hype around his ability can be sourced directly from his debut match's report against MK Dons in the Championship. It read: 'Just over 12 months ago he was playing Sunday-league football, having never been on the books of a professional club, but following a prolific year of finding the net for the club’s U18s and U21s sides, he was rewarded with his maiden appearance in a first-team squad.'

While Lookman impressed at the Valley, he was one of the few bright spots in a drab relegation season. The season after, as Charlton stayed in League One – the 19-year-old was going up the other way; as he signed for Ronald Koeman's Everton on a four-and-a-half-year deal that was around £7.5m.

What went wrong for Lookman at Everton?

Lookman's time on Merseyside started in emphatic fashion. Crowning a 4-0 trouncing of Manchester City ten days after his full club debut, Everton thought he was destined for a long and fruitful career in blue. However, only seven Premier League starts followed.

As the Guardian described, the winger clearly wasn't yet trusted and after a seemingly teasing loan to Leipzig had shown more promise, Lookman was determined to return to the Bundesliga in 2019. Where Koeman had overlooked, David Unsworth disregarded.

Where Sam Allardyce ignored, Marco Silva did the same. It was put down to tactical indiscipline, yet in reality, Lookman had really been limited at Everton.

Where is Lookman now?

On the 25th of July 2019, Lookman got his Red Bull relief and joined Leipzig on a five-year-deal for a whopping £22.5m. Wanted, pursued, he firmly believed he'd made the right choice. However. The winger was perhaps a little humbled when once again he struggled for minutes and form.

No goals in 11 games had him looking for the exit once again, and after two brief Premier League appearances on loan at Fulham and Leicester combining to result in 10 goals in 60 outings – there was still this feeling of potential going to waste

Fortunately for the wide man, Atalanta – like they have done for so many Premier League misfits – seemingly saw through the now-Nigerian-international's form and in August 2022 picked him up for a cool €15m (£13m).

This newfound trust and potential international responsibility has clearly had a profound effect and Lookman's creativity in front of goal has gone from strength to strength. Where Everton now struggle near the bottom of the Premier League, Lookman has bounced back from his own personal depths.

Last season, as Atalanta strut to fifth, the Toffees reject played a huge part: hitting his most prolific term yet with 13 goals in 31 Serie A games.

To put that into context, he's doing a great deal better than those still at Goodison. Indeed, he was outscoring a like-for-like comparison in Dwight McNeil who bagged seven goals last season, and looking to draw teammates closer after wonderkid Hojlund's departure, it seems like Lookman's time to show how "special" he truly is now he has centre stage. You do wonder whether Everton made a mistake with this one…