Leeds United star was 'offered' to Yorkshire rivals before £28m Premier League move
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Former Huddersfield Town sporting director Leigh Bromby has claimed the Terriers were ‘offered’ Crysencio Summerville before the winger’s first-team emergence at Leeds United.
Summerville is now a Premier League player after leaving Leeds for West Ham United in a £28million deal over the summer, having enjoyed an outstanding 2024/24 campaign at Elland Road. The Dutchman registered an outstanding 20 goals and nine assists on his way to the Championship’s Player of the Season award, guiding Daniel Farke’s men to the play-off final where they ultimately lost against Southampton.
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Hide AdIt would have been easy to forget during points last season that it was Summerville’s debut campaign as a regular first-team player at Leeds, with the winger having to bide his time after joining for just £1.5m back in 2020. He made 28 Premier League appearances during the relegation campaign but only started 12, with minutes restricted further when Raphinha, Luis Sinisterra and Jack Harrison were around.
There was no clear path to first-team action in those early years and it seems someone at Leeds floated the possibility of Summerville moving on. It is unclear when Huddersfield were offered the youngster, or whether it was a loan or permanent move, but former Whites academy coach Carlos Corberan was not keen on the opportunity.
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"When we were at Huddersfield we were offered him because we had Carlos [Corberan] - at one point he was totally out of the picture,” Bromby told BBC Radio Leeds. “We definitely could have had him, but I don't think Carlos was quite too sure. Carlos knew him really well, and he was totally out of the picture. We could have got him in January."
Things did eventually get going for Summerville, who benefitted from Leeds’ relegation and the subsequent exits of Harrison and Sinisterra. The winger was given a starting spot by new manager Daniel Farke and after scoring a late equaliser in the opening-weekend 2-2 draw against Cardiff City, never looked back.
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Hide AdSummerville consistently found himself in the goals as Leeds challenged for Championship promotion, forming part of an excellent attacking unit alongside Georginio Rutter and one of Dan James or Wilfried Gnonto. But play-off final defeat saw the emerging star move into the top-flight through an Elland Road exit.
Things haven’t gone perfectly for Summerville at new club West Ham, however, with the 22-year-old facing increased competition for minutes at the top-flight regulars. New manager Julen Lopetegui has been more inclined to start Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta over their former Leeds man, who has started just one league game so far and is yet to register a goal or assist.