When transfer interest in Crysencio Summerville intensified this summer, he and his loved ones wrote down the pros and cons of each club he could join.
Chelsea and Liverpool were among those who enquired about the 22-year-old Dutchman, but securing playing time was important for Summerville and neither were viewed favourably due to the number of wingers they had in their squads.
West Ham United’s sales pitch made the difference.
Their new head coach Julen Lopetegui assured Summerville, who eventually signed from Leeds United for £25million ($32m), of game time. John Heitinga, West Ham’s former assistant first-team coach, also helped convince him to join the east Londoners and, as mentioned previously, technical director Tim Steidten challenged him to become a success, like the club’s 2023 summer signings Edson Alvarez and Mohammed Kudus have done.
Kudus received a red card for violent conduct in the 4-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday and will receive a minimum three-match suspension, missing upcoming games against Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and Everton. Although West Ham will be without a key player in those fixtures, his ban provides an opportunity for Summerville to show why he should be starting more often.
Lopetegui has slowly integrated him into the XI, with his sole league start coming in the 3-0 home loss against Chelsea a month ago. One of nine summer arrivals following Lopetegui’s appointment as David Moyes’ successor, he has shown glimpses of his talent as a substitute and was unlucky not to score while impressing in the Carabao Cup win against Bournemouth. He has mainly operated on the left, but Lopetegui has favoured starting Kudus in that position, with Lucas Paqueta in the No 10 role, captain Jarrod Bowen on the right and Michail Antonio as the lone striker.
Kudus retains the ball efficiently and brings pace, strength and flair to the side, which is why he also had suitors in the summer, although that interest did not lead to formal offers. The 24-year-old Ghana international had been one of West Ham’s bright sparks before his dismissal against Tottenham, and his looming absence gives Summerville the chance to act on Steidten’s challenge when he is unleashed by Lopetegui.
The Spaniard’s side lack a recognisable playing style and an identity two months into his debut season, but his response to the Spurs defeat and their slow start to 2024-25 overall was to assure West Ham fans that better moments are ahead.
Maybe those moments will come from the integration of Summerville. When Lopetegui met the winger in the summer, the pair discussed the possibility of West Ham competing in Europe again, following their Conference League final win under Moyes in 2022-23. It was another contributing factor in Summerville’s decision to join and something he referenced in his first interview with the club’s in-house media.
“I spoke to the head coach, and he convinced me that I could make an impact, and help achieve success in the new season,” Summerville told West Ham’s website. “I think I’m here to help write more history, and I’d love to help West Ham get back into Europe.”
With eight points from as many matches, West Ham’s chances of securing European football for next season appear fanciful right now. The more realistic goal is Summerville helping fellow attackers Bowen and Antonio find consistency. The pair’s best performance of the season came in the 4-1 win against Ipswich, but they have only fleetingly impressed otherwise.
Lopetegui is yet to implement a system in which they can both thrive, but Summerville has abundant qualities that could help to solve these issues.
His chance to show why he had been on West Ham’s radar since last summer starts this weekend, with the home game against Manchester United.
Summerville showed last season he can be a team’s provider, with 10 assists for Leeds as they got to the Championship play-off final before losing to Southampton. In total, he made 89 appearances and scored 25 goals for them in all competitions, having joined from Feyenoord in his homeland for £1.3million ($1.7m at the current exchange rate) in summer 2020. After 19 goals in 43 league appearances in 2023-24, he was voted Championship Player of the Year by his fellow members of the Professional Footballers’ Association. He can dribble past opponents, lure defenders to make fouls and initiate attacks.
In these next three games, Summerville will be viewed as the first-choice attacking option on the left. Fellow winger Luis Guilherme was signed from Brazilian side Palmeiras in the summer, but at just 18 years of age, he is not seen as being at the required level to make an immediate impact in the Premier League.
Lopetegui spoke about Summerville last month before the 1-1 draw with Fulham, in which the winger played the second half, and challenged him to take his chances when they come: “He has had minutes and he will have more minutes. We are happy with him and he’s working really hard. He’ll give us good moments but he has to be ready. We have a long season ahead, a marathon, and he’ll be involved in a lot of our matches.”
That chance has arrived.
Motivation comes easy for Summerville, who aspires to earn a senior call-up for the Netherlands this season after amassing 37 caps from under-16s level through to their under-21s.
He will not have been content with waiting on the sidelines. Now he has the chance to show why West Ham’s attack will be far richer with him in it.
(Top photo: Zac Goodwin/PA Images via Getty Images)
