Ex-Leeds United star fires Crysencio Summerville warning and cites 'increased' promotion chance

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It's absolutely essential that Leeds United replace Crysencio Summerville following his sale to West Ham, writes DAVID PRUTTON.

We looked at Summerville as the best player in the Championship last year although as a collective Leeds couldn't deliver in the play-off final. But broadly speaking, Summerville is obviously a player of a very high level and a player that can change games.

He will leave a huge hole in what Leeds are all about because whenever they were at their best, he was at his best too. Summerville didn't really do it in the Prem but he was younger then and as a collective Leeds didn't do much in the Prem either apart from that first season under Marcelo Bielsa.

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From a financial point of view, Summerville's sale is a tough one to analyse. Given the state of the market and the Financial Fair Play rules, Leeds quite understandably have to cut their cloth accordingly. Price therefore probably reflects the financial situation of the club.

NEW CHANCE: For Leeds United winger Daniel James, right, upon the sale of Crysencio Summerville to West Ham United, James pictured on the charge in Saturday's pre-season friendly victory against Valencia at Elland Road. Picture by Simon Hulme.NEW CHANCE: For Leeds United winger Daniel James, right, upon the sale of Crysencio Summerville to West Ham United, James pictured on the charge in Saturday's pre-season friendly victory against Valencia at Elland Road. Picture by Simon Hulme.
NEW CHANCE: For Leeds United winger Daniel James, right, upon the sale of Crysencio Summerville to West Ham United, James pictured on the charge in Saturday's pre-season friendly victory against Valencia at Elland Road. Picture by Simon Hulme.

There was always going to be a gap in finances without promotion and a chasm in terms of what was needed and what was coming through the doors. Crown jewels are always going to be sold off. But for a kid who is only 22 with so much ability and so much opportunity and potential ahead of him, all built on what he has done already, it's at the end of the scale which I can totally see why Leeds fans might be going 'come on' and expecting more.Yet it's akin to buying a house and people will pay what they think it is worth.

There would have been no guns held to the heads of Leeds. They will see the sale as making financial sense for them with regards to what is needed right now from a finance point of view. Could selling Crysencio prove the difference? I don't know as he wasn't the difference between them going up and not lost time was he?

To place your trust and faith in one single player is dangerous. If that player has got better players around him then collectively the team may do something different. But Leeds are heading into the season with a squad that is not as good as last season's and last season's got them to a losing play off final, it still didn't get them up.

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Sometimes you can look at how the collective and the chemistry possibly changes with a player leaving, with players such as Archie Gray and Summerville moving on. Can there now be a different balance in the squad? It might bring something else out of Willy Gnonto. You might see more consistency from Dan James. You might see Georginio Rutter play in a position where he can affect the game more. But these are all what ifs and hypotheticals because Summerville was undoubtedly a game changer.

The other side of it is to look at it from a business point of view. It's hard to give it perspective when the fans are gutted and the team is gutted. But Leeds signed Summerville for a reported £1.3m and if you are then selling him for around £25m extra and to also do what they did with Archie Gray is astounding financial work and very positive.

If you are a West Ham fan then I can see why you might think you have signed Summerville at a bit of a snip. But as much as we all talk about the Premier League being the destination and the promised land, Leeds fans know all too well and its within the lifespan of me playing for them that there have been times when the club was on its financial knees so there has to be a trust in these decisions that are being made from a financial health point of view.

Leeds have also got a manager in Daniel Farke that is not going to be a wallflower as assets are stripped from the club for whatever money they can get. Daniel knows that he has got to be competitive and I don't think he would be there if he didn't think they were going to be even though the size of the job is huge and that it would be a privilege to manage that club in League One, never mind the championship or the Premier League.

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As I've always said, whether it's a player that is leaving or injured, it opens the door for someone else. But there's a consistency and top level performance that the Leeds squad need to find as a whole. If they were consistent then they would have got automatic promotion and if they had been consistent in the Premier League then they wouldn't have got relegated.

Glen Kamara is another player that has left the club this summer and that was a surprising one. But again, Leeds nearly doubled their money on him. Financially, that is decent work and I wouldn't be worried about the Leeds squad going into the new season.

I would be concerned because of the standard of players that have gone out. On paper, the squad is now not as strong as last season's. But with the greatest respect to the teams that have come down. I think there is a broad consensus and opinion that the league and the teams involved in the league has a different make up to it this year, so much so that if you are Leeds fan you have got to be fancying your chances even more going into this season.

There is expectation and pressure with whoever drops out of the Premier League and whoever comes up from League One. But Leeds will always be a favourite if they are in the Championship and they have got to deal with it.

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Broadly speaking, there was so much for Leeds fans to like about their team last season. But categorically it wasn't one that ticked the most important box of promotion and everyone knows that.

I don't think the squad is as strong as it was last season. There is still time to change that. But the other cynical part of me thinks about the situation being akin to the one at Manchester United where other clubs will look at you and think hang on, these have got money now after the Summerville sale.

Clubs will look at that and think if you come after one of our players then here is your premium on top of that. That's something that Leeds have got to be very careful of.

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