Atalanta coach Raffaele Palladino opens up on losing Ivorian defender Odilon Kossounou for AFCON 2025

Atalanta manager Raffaele Palladino has expressed his concerns losing Ivory Coast defender Odilon Kossounou for the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

Kossounou is expected to represent the Elephant at the continental showpiece to be held in Morocco between December 2025 and January 2026.

Per FIFA directives, clubs are allowed to keep players set to participate in the AFCON tournament until December 15, with Atalanta expected to lose the highly-profiled defender for weeks.

However, Palladino has highlighted the difficulty of losing the Ivorian international, whom he described as “strong and decisive” for the team.

“We are losing two important players for us—Lookman and Kossounou—strong and decisive, but we are regaining Kolasinac and Scalvini, who are equally important,” Palladino said.

The 24-year-old defender has made 15 appearances across competitions for Atalanta this sdason, scoring one goal in the process.