Crysencio Summerville’s career at Leeds United could have panned out a whole lot differently.
Summerville was signed for Leeds’ U21s side back in 2020 as a teenager from Feyenoord and he certainly had to be patient for his opportunity in the first team.
Marcelo Bielsa handed him a couple of brief cameos from the bench but it wasn’t until Jesse Marsch’s arrival that he began to establish himself, despite the American’s criticism of Summerville’s attitude.
Summerville scored four goals in Leeds‘ Premier League relegation season but unlike many others from that team, opted to stay at Elland Road in the Championship despite interest from elsewhere.
Despite Leeds falling short in their push for promotion, Summerville’s Championship player of the season winning campaign earned him a well deserved £25 million move to West Ham United.
How close Huddersfield came to signing Summerville
The reason Summerville’s career at Leeds could’ve been so much different is because he wanted to leave the club in January 2022.
Summerville was disappointed at his lack of first team action under Bielsa and perhaps understandably, wanted to go out on loan to further his development.
In the end, of course, it all worked out well, but in a different world, Summerville could actually have ended up at Huddersfield Town.
Bielsa’s former Leeds assistant Carlos Corberan was in charge of the Terriers at the time and speaking on BBC Radio Leeds before the Whites’ win over Sheffield United last night, Leigh Bromby says he is a player the Spaniard knew well.
Bromby was Huddersfield’s Head of Football Operations for around four years and revealed during the season they got to the Championship play-off final in 2021/22, Corberan turned down the chance to bring Summerville in.
He said: “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.
“Carlos knew him really well, and he was totally out of the picture. We could have got him in the January.”
How has Summerville fared at West Ham so far?
Returning to the Premier League on the back of such an impressive season at Championship level, Summerville should’ve been going into West Ham full of confidence.
However, he simply has not been afforded the opportunity to show that yet. Summerville has started just one of West Ham’s Premier League matches so far, in which he was brought off early in the second half.
Paul Merson is unsure whether Summerville will adapt to the Premier League, but unless he gets that chance, no one will ever know.
A run of starts is exactly what he needs to get himself back on track after such a strong year at Leeds.
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