Atalanta confirm new De Ketelaere and Ahanor injury problems
Quick summary
Atalanta have announced fresh injury setbacks for Charles De Ketelaere and Ahanor, adding to the club's growing fitness concerns.
Full article
Attributed to original sourceAtalanta will be without Charles De Ketelaere and Honest Ahanor for their friendly against Athletic Club, as both sustained muscular injuries.
The two players limped off during training in Bergamo on Wednesday and today underwent tests to show the extent of the damage.
Atalanta deal with injuries BERGAMO, ITALY – JANUARY 03: Charles De Ketelaere of Atalanta reacts during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and AS Roma at New Balance Arena on January 03, 2026 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images) A statement on the club website confirmed De Ketelaere has been diagnosed with a strain of the adductor in the left leg, while defender Ahanor has an adductor issue in his right leg.
Both are low grade strains, so no significant damage, but they will be rested and evaluated over the next few days.
It means they are definitely out of Atalanta’s final pre-season friendly test against Athletic Club at the New Balance Arena on Friday, which will be the XXVII edition of the Trofeo Bortolotti.
They were already missing Kamaldeen Sulemana , who has been ruled out for two months with a knee ligament injury.
La Dea will begin their season with the Conference League play-off against Hapoel Tel-Aviv on August 20, then the second leg is on August 27.
Their opening Serie A fixture is at home to Sassuolo on August 23.
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What happened
Atalanta have officially confirmed that Charles De Ketelaere and young defender Honest Ahanor are dealing with new injury issues. The Belgian attacker and the promising centre-back will undergo further assessments to determine the severity and expected recovery time. The news comes at a difficult moment for the Bergamo side, who are already navigating a congested fixture list across Serie A and European competition.
Chance analysis
Losing De Ketelaere removes one of Atalanta's most creative and technically gifted attacking outlets, directly weakening their chance creation and ball progression in the final third. Ahanor's absence further strains defensive depth, particularly relevant given Atalanta's tactical reliance on high defensive lines and aggressive pressing. Combined, these injuries could force tactical reshuffling and increased reliance on squad players during a critical stretch of the season.
Atalanta's attacking creativity and defensive depth are both diminished, likely affecting short-term performance and forcing squad rotation.
Adjust Atalanta's expected attacking output and defensive solidity downward for upcoming matches until return timelines for De Ketelaere and Ahanor are clarified.