West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui must consider integrating summer signing Crysencio Summerville into the starting line-up after the club’s awful start to the season.
Summerville joined the Hammers in a £25 million deal from Championship club Leeds United but has struggled to nail down a spot in Lopetegui’s starting XI.
The dazzling Dutch winger was a talisman for Leeds last season, notching 21 goals and ten assists in 49 games across all competitions as they narrowly missed out on promotion.
Aside from his eye-catching goal contributions, he was also a creative force for the Whites, registering a remarkable 17 big chances created while averaging 2.6 key passes per 90 minutes.
He was also effective at winning the ball back in the middle of the park, recording a 53 percent success rate in ground duels and completing 3.4 ball recoveries per match.
Despite those staggering numbers, Summerville has only started in one of his seven Premier League appearances for West Ham.
Lopetegui prefers an attacking midfield comprising Lucas Paqueta, Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen behind Michail Antonio, who leads the line.
However, with Kudus set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to suspension, Summerville could be a devastating weapon for Lopetegui to unleash on the left flank.
Kudus was sent off after losing his head in the 4-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend and will miss West Ham’s next three games.
It could even get worse for the Ghanaian international, with the Football Association (FA) reviewing the incident in which he left three Spurs players on the floor.
Kudus’s absence paves the way for Lopetegui to bring Summerville into the fold. The Dutchman has plenty of talent, and a run of games in the starting line-up should give him a chance to show what he’s capable of.
Lopetegui will need all the help he can get to arrest West Ham’s slump, and Summerville’s skillset could come in handy over the next few weeks.
Stats from Sofascore.com.
