It is a compliment to Crysencio Summerville’s attacking ability that one of his former coaches went on a passionate soliloquy when describing the winger’s potential.
Claudio Braga, who coached Summerville during his loan spell with second-tier Dutch side Dordrecht in 2018-19, was speaking after the 23-year-old scored the opener in West Ham United’s 2-1 victory over Manchester United. Braga felt compelled to eulogise on the winger’s impact.
“West Ham fans are going to love him,” he told The Athletic. “He is a player that can do extraordinary things, that’s what makes him special and unique. He is a player opposition defenders will hate marking. Give him the ball, it doesn’t matter if there are two or three opponents, he will find a way to get past them. Against Manchester United, he showed he can be an impactful player. He is on the right path to becoming a world-class talent.”
Summerville joined West Ham in August from Leeds United for £25million ($32m). He was one of nine summer arrivals and has proven popular with his attacking displays. Head coach Julen Lopetegui has slowly integrated the attacker in the team, having preferred Mohammed Kudus on the left flank.
Summerville and Kudus embraced when the winger scored, with the former citing the Ghana international as a mentor and a player he looks up to. But with Kudus continuing his three-match suspension for upcoming games against Nottingham Forest and Everton, Summerville has a chance to show why he was a sought-after talent in the summer.
Chelsea and Liverpool were among those who enquired about the winger, but playing time was key for the playmaker. West Ham won out. Jesse Marsch, the former Leeds United manager, played a key role in Summerville’s development. Like Braga, the Canada manager believes the attacker is ready to impact the Premier League.
“I’m happy for Crysencio and I’m rooting for him to do well at West Ham,” he tells The Athletic. “I couldn’t help but smile when he scored against Manchester United. He deserved a move to a Premier League side and West Ham is a team he can really grow at. When I coached Erling Haaland (the Manchester City striker) he and his father had a sense of mapping out the right steps for his career. Before Erling left Red Bull Salzburg, he could’ve joined one of the big clubs, but his father wanted him to have the opportunity to fail and learn.
“So it reminds me of Crysencio joining West Ham, which is a perfect step for him to develop into a big player and I have no doubt he will. When you get to a new club as a young player, it can be hard to establish yourself. But in the big moment against Manchester United, he showed he can be counted on.”
Summerville has scored once in ten appearances for West Ham. The 3-0 home loss to Chelsea a month ago is his sole league start, but last Sunday against United he showed why he merits a starting berth against Nottingham Forest. The winger brings energy, attacking flair and confidence to the team. He can play across all the forward positions but is most effective on the flanks.
His route to West Ham began in the youth teams of RVV Noorderkwartier. He then joined his hometown club Feyenoord as an under-seven in 2008. Summerville grew up in the south of Rotterdam, the second-largest city in the Netherlands. It also has a reputation for being a tough place to live. Summerville did not make an appearance for his boyhood club, making his first first-team appearances during loan spells at Dordrecht and ADO Den Haag. Under Braga’s tutelage at Dordrecht, Summerville scored five league goals in 18 appearances.
Summerville has amassed 37 caps from the Netherlands under-16s to under-21s. He was part of the side that won the UEFA European Under-17 Championship in 2018. Braga believes it is only a matter of time before Summerville earns senior international recognition.
“The next step for him is to earn a call-up to the Dutch national team,” he says. “That will give me the most satisfaction as a former coach. He’s grown from a skinny teenager into a man and a top player. Even when there’s moments he’s not in the game, his mind is always thinking of how to find space. Top teams have this kind of player and with time he will be a key player for the national team.
“There isn’t another attacking player he reminds me of because Crysencio is unique. That’s what makes him special, he has his own identity and that’s why he had interest from a lot of clubs. The challenge for Summerville is to show consistency week in, week out. I’m a West Ham fan now so I’ll be watching his performances closely!”
While Summerville broke through in the Netherlands, he made his name at Leeds. He joined the West Yorkshire club in the summer of 2020 for £1.3million ($1.7m). A year before Summerville joined West Ham, Leeds rebuffed an initial enquiry from Burnley. The winger was considered one of their best players as they dropped into the second-tier. After 19 goals in 43 league appearances in 2023-24, he was voted Championship Player of the Year.
He had to develop at Leeds, having first broken through under Marcelo Bielsa. Summerville went on to play under five different managers at Leeds. Marsch earmarked him for a key role when he arrived.
| Manager | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Marcelo Bielsa
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
|
Jesse Marsch
|
16
|
4
|
1
|
|
Daniel Farke
|
49
|
21
|
10
|
“When I took the job at Leeds (in February 2022), I’d been speaking to Victor Orta (the former sporting director) for two years and had been following the progress of the first team and under-23s. I felt strongly that Summerville could fit in the way I thought about football. The first day I took the job, I spoke to the team and saw Summerville in the canteen. I said to him, ‘You’re going to be a big part of my plans, so be ready.’ He looked at me, started smiling and I repeated what I said. I believed in him and he had a lot of qualities that I liked in attacking players like speed, aggressiveness and confidence.”
One of Summerville’s best moments under Marsch was his goal against Liverpool, which led to Marsch’s memorable celebration on the touchline.
Epic scenes at Anfield! 🤯
Summerville stuns Liverpool late on with a huge goal for Leeds! 🚨pic.twitter.com/KdrJ4MylrM
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) October 29, 2022
“I challenged him to not be frustrated when he didn’t play. He was still very young and temperamental at times but he had the self-confidence. That’s why I had no doubt he would develop into a very good player. The week where everything clicked for him was when he scored in back-to-back games against Liverpool and Bournemouth.
“The goal against Bournemouth was against him being aggressive and taking onboard all the feedback from coaches. He had grown a lot and showed he can be a big player. Those two games were really important for him and his development. When I left Leeds, he sent me a lovely message about being appreciative of all the support I’d shown him. Now I feel so proud seeing him do well for West Ham. This is just the beginning for Crysencio.”
(Top photo: Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)
