It’s fair to say Victor Orta had a mixed success rate as Director of Football at Leeds United. At his very best, his signings went on to make £55 million moves to Barcelona. At their very worst they end up costing us £40 million for three appearances.
But between the extremes of Raphinha and Jean-Kevin Augustin were his pet projects – undiscovered Under 21 players from across Europe. While Ian Poveda, Mateusz Bogusz and Aapo Halme may not have set the word alight, Crysencio Summerville was certainly one of his shining stars.
Leeds snapped up Summerville for £1.3 million from Feyenoord in the summer of 2020, part of a big recruitment drive of young players following promotion back to the Premier League. Despite his experience of Eredivisie football on loan at Den Haag, he linked up with the Under 21 side where his pace and eye for goal stood out. His performances earned him a regular place on the bench for the 2021-2022 season.
It was the 2022-2023 that really saw Summerville step up though. With Raphinha departing to La Liga, Summerville demanded the Number 10 shirt. A cocky move for a 20-year-old with one first team start under his belt, but then a lack of self-confidence has never been an issue for Crysencio Summerville.
The young Dutchman made 15 starts and 31 appearances that season but it was really the arrival of Wilfried Gnonto that really saw him come alive. In what was a pretty dire season for Leeds, the budding partnership between Summerville and Gnonto was one of the only bright spots.
The two diminutive wingers feared no one, taking on all comers no matter their stature or standing. The pair bagged four goals each, setting each other up and celebrating together. The joy on their faces was a brief glimpse of sunshine in a dire, dire season for Leeds United.
There had been questions around Summerville’s attitude, Jesse Marsch sat in front of the media claiming Summerville had stayed in England for his birthday and had definitely not travelled home to the Netherlands. Photos of him partying in Rotterdam suggested otherwise. Gnonto had been a calming influence on Summerville according to Marsch, the Italian a year younger than Summerville but with a more professional outlook had helped convince him to get his head down.
However, the roles were reversed last summer. With relegation came a stampede to the exit door with players like Jack Harrison, Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson like rats departing a sinking ship. Gnonto himself pushed for a move and went on strike. But there was no agitation for a move from Summerville or his agent.
Whilst he had done enough to put himself in the shop window, he backed himself to show what he could do with a full season under his belt, to prove himself to be the best player in the Championship, and he certainly did that. With the big-name departures, the pressure was definitely on Summerville and rise to it he did.
Championship Player of the Season, Leeds United Players’ Player of the Season, with 21 goals and 10 assists, the accolades and numbers speak for themselves. There was no doubting his right to wear that Number 10 shirt as he had potentially one of the best seasons by any player in the history of the Championship. But does that tell the whole story? Perhaps not.
There were criticisms of Summerville, despite his impressive numbers. His self-confidence at times appeared to be more of a hindrance than an asset, spurning the chance to cross, taking it on himself and losing the ball or skying it over the bar. But then if I was Crysencio Summerville and looked up to see Patrick Bamford as my only option in the box, I’d probably take it on myself as well.
It is fair to say he is in a better squad with better players now, he just needs to make the right decision when those opportunities come. The other criticism was that he was ‘found out’ towards the latter stages of the season, but it’s difficult to say who was found out.
Was it Summerville or was it Daniel Farke? Farke’s tactics heavily rely on the individual, a player creating something out of nowhere and Summerville certainly delivered plenty of those moments last season. But he became a marked man with teams doubling up on him. Stop Summerville and you stopped Leeds to a large extent.
Despite his price tag, Summerville won’t be the main man this season, he’s a little fish in a big pond now. That should give him the freedom to play again, and he will undoubtedly create chances in the Premier League, he’s done it before.
Don’t expect 20 goals a season from him, he won’t get away with his trademark cut in from the left and smash the ball into the top corner. Not with the quicker defenders and better goalkeepers of the Premier League. But will he be fun to watch? Will he put defenders on their arse? Will he create chances for West Ham this season? I have no doubt. He’s a special little player, look after him, we are going to miss him.
Be the first to comment