Skrtel leaves Atalanta three weeks after signing for them

The club from Bergamo have still not made an official announcement on the Slovakian central defender's departure, but it is a well known secret in Italy. 

Some media outlets like 'TuttoMercato' and 'La Gazzetta dello Sport' assure that Skrtel's contract has been terminated by mutual consent. 

What has led to since sudden U-turn? The fact Skrtel was not even in the squad to face Torino should have given us a clue. 

 

31 August 2019

According to the cited media outlets, the club have hinted that Skrtel suffered fitness issues because of the way Gian Piero Gasperini trains his players. 

There are also suggestions that the Slovakian was not capable of adapting to the demands of his new coach in the first few weeks. 

It could also be that Skrtel did not like Gasperini's demanding training methods and therefore he has decided to take the easy option and leave the club. 

However it may be, everything seems to indicate that at 34, the veteran defender who made a name for himself at Zenit and Liverpool before moving to Fenerbahce three seasons back to retire, will not be staying on at Atalanta.