Crysencio Summerville has now scored 21 goals this season, three more than Pablo Hernandez in 2019/20.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Crysencio Summerville of Leeds United has been a revelation in the Championship, scoring 14 goals and providing seven assists in 28 games.
- His goal involvements surpass Leeds icon Pablo Hernandez’s total from their promotion-winning season.
- If Summerville helps Leeds gain promotion, he might be mentioned with Hernandez.
Crysencio Summerville of Leeds United has taken the Championship by storm this season, despite having limited playing experience in the Premier League since signing in 2020.
The Dutchman joined from Eredivisie club Feyenoord in September 2020 for a sum of just £1.3 million, an amazing steal in hindsight, with the then-18-year-old signing as a potential star, first joining the club’s Under-23 squad.
Summerville arrived with a huge reputation after playing 21 league games for Ado Den Haag the previous season, despite only turning 18 while on loan with the Eredivisie club.
Summerville, now 22, has demonstrated why Marcelo Bielsa brought him to the club three and a half years ago, scoring 14 goals and assisting seven times in his first 28 Championship matches, for a total of 21 goals.
This is more than Leeds United legend Pablo Hernandez, who scored 18 goals during the club’s 2019/20 season, which saw Leeds promoted to the Premier League. If Summerville helps Leeds achieve promotion, there is no reason why he cannot be mentioned alongside Hernandez.
Crysencio Summerville’s 2023-24 season
Leeds’ relegation from the Premier League was a gift in disguise for players like Summerville, who gained consistent playing time at a lower level of football.
The Dutchman seized his opportunity, and his 21 goals in just 28 appearances have solidified his status as one of the division’s top performers.
He had an excellent start to the season with a 95th-minute equaliser against Cardiff City on the first day, which served to set the tone for the rest of the campaign.
Summerville has been a revelation at Championship level, and there’s no doubt that he’ll establish himself as a Premier League-caliber player if the team returns to the top tier of English football this season.
With 14 league goals, he leads the Leeds goalscoring rankings and is fourth in the Championship, trailing only Sammie Szmodics by three.
Summerville, 22, has a contract with Leeds until 2026 and might become a club legend – or at least a cult figure – if he leads the team to the Premier League.
However, the club will be well aware that if they fail to gain promotion, they will face a fierce battle to keep him in the summer, with Liverpool having previously linked with the youngster.
Summerville can be remembered as Pablo Hernandez.
Pablo Hernandez is hailed as a modern-day Leeds legend for his involvement in propelling the team to the Premier League in 2020, the first time since 2004.
His last-gasp goal away at previous club Swansea effectively sealed promotion in the summer of 2020, and his 18 goal appearances that season were all the more impressive given that he was 35 years old when Leeds gained promotion.
However, as successful as Hernandez was for Leeds, Summerville has already eclipsed his goal involvement figure from the club’s promotion-winning season, and with 15 league games remaining, the Dutchman could outperform it.
Hernandez will be remembered for his involvement at the club and his determination to stay at Elland Road through some difficult times. Summerville leading Leeds to promotion this season will not mean as much to fans as Hernandez did, given the club’s absence from the top tier.
However, when it comes to promotions, Summerville may end up being spoken in the same language as the great Hernandez, with his contribution expected to dwarf that of a true club favourite.
