Fresh signing Crysencio Summerville insists a conversation with Head Coach Julen Lopetegui convinced him that West Ham United was the perfect place to help him achieve his career ambitions.
The 22-year-old has put pen to paper on a five-year deal with a one-year option in east London, following a four-year stint with EFL Championship outfit Leeds United, where he top-scored during 2023/24 and was subsequently crowned the second-tier’s Player of the Season.
Having graduated from Feyenoord’s famed Varkenoord youth academy, and gained experience in the Netherlands’ top tiers on loan at FC Dordrecht and ADO Den Haag, Rotterdam native Summerville established himself as a key man at Leeds, where he tallied up 89 appearances.
His exploits in the Championship last term, following relegation, left him itching for an opportunity to add to his four goals and 34 outings in the Premier League, and after chatting to Lopetegui and Hammers Technical Director Tim Steidten, it did not take him long to work out where he wanted to be.
“I spoke to the Technical Director and to the Head Coach, and I just felt very positive about this move,” said Summerville, who featured for Leeds against Lopetegui’s Wolverhampton Wanderers side in March 2023.
“He [Lopetegui] told me that he remembered me from when I played against him, and that he was an admirer of me. He said he wanted to work with me, and that he thought I could make a contribution to the team, which was obviously nice to hear.
“He also said that he thought he could help me with my development, which was good. He is a straight talker, which is something I really like, because it means I know what he expects of me, and after speaking to him I was sure he was the right person to help take my career to the next level.”
Summerville’s exploits in England have pitched him against the Irons on four occasions, in the top flight and in the FA Cup, including twice at London Stadium where he says he cannot wait to walk out adorned in Claret and Blue.
While he has come up against his new teammates on the pitch in the past, he has also admired their recent achievements at home and abroad from afar, and is now determined to help them earn a return to European football in the season ahead.
Summerville said: “I’ve played at London Stadium twice before, and it’s really nice. The fans always stick by their team, and there’s so much history at the Club as well.
“I obviously know about the UEFA Europa Conference League win in 2023, and I’ve seen how well West Ham have done in Europe over the last few years. The team’s plan is to push to do that again, and I’m very confident in the project here. For the Club and for my career, I’d love to play in Europe for the first time.”
Besides his aim of competing on the continental front for the Hammers, Summerville is also hoping that his move could elevate him towards recognition on the senior international stage.
A Netherlands U21 international, who last represented his country at the UEFA U21 European Championship in June 2023, and was part of the Dutch side that won the U17 Euros in 2018, is aiming to show he is worthy of a first Oranje cap while at West Ham.
“As well as success in the Premier League and the other Club competitions, I have goals with the Netherlands national side,” added Summerville. “I want to be part of the first-team squad, and see what I can achieve for my country.
“But for now I want to help write history here at West Ham. There’s a lot of quality here, and I’m really looking forward to meeting my teammates when they get back from the United States.
“I’m very excited to meet the whole Irons family, and it’s not long to wait now until the Betway Cup game against Celta Vigo, and then Aston Villa in the first game back in the Premier League. I can’t wait to get going!”
