Crysencio Summerville’s journey at Leeds United could have taken a very different direction.
He joined Leeds’ U21 squad in 2020 as a teenager after transferring from Feyenoord and had to wait patiently for his chance in the first team.
Marcelo Bielsa gave him a few brief appearances from the bench, but it was only after Jesse Marsch’s arrival that he began to make his mark, even though the American coach criticized Summerville’s attitude at times.
During Leeds’ relegation season in the Premier League, Summerville scored four goals, and unlike many of his teammates, he chose to remain at Elland Road in the Championship despite interest from other clubs.
Even though Leeds fell short in their promotion bid, Summerville’s standout season, which earned him the Championship Player of the Season award, led to a well-deserved £25 million transfer to West Ham United.
How close Huddersfield came to signing Summerville
The reason Summerville’s career at Leeds could have taken a different turn is that he wanted to leave the club in January 2022.
Frustrated by his lack of first-team opportunities under Bielsa, Summerville understandably sought a loan move to aid his development.
In hindsight, everything worked out well, but in an alternate scenario, he might have joined Huddersfield Town.
At that time, Carlos Corberan, Bielsa’s former assistant at Leeds, was managing the Terriers. Leigh Bromby, speaking on BBC Radio Leeds before Leeds’ match against Sheffield United last night, mentioned that Corberan was familiar with Summerville.
Bromby served as Huddersfield’s Head of Football Operations for about four years and revealed that during the season they reached the Championship play-off final in 2021/22, Corberan had the opportunity to bring in Summerville but ultimately declined.
He stated, “When we were at Huddersfield, we were offered him because we had Carlos—at one point, he was totally out of the picture. We definitely could have had him, but I don’t think Carlos was quite too sure.”
How has Summerville fared at West Ham so far?
After an impressive season in the Championship, Summerville should have been entering West Ham with plenty of confidence as he returned to the Premier League.
However, he hasn’t been given the opportunity to demonstrate his potential yet. So far, Summerville has started only one of West Ham’s Premier League matches, where he was substituted early in the second half.
Paul Merson has expressed uncertainty about whether Summerville will be able to adapt to the Premier League, but without the chance to prove himself, it remains unknown.
What he truly needs is a series of starting appearances to get back on track following his strong performance at Leeds.
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