By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)
Liverpool join the race
West Ham winger Crysencio Summerville is today being linked with a move to Liverpool following a report from The Athletic in their transfer round-up.
Summerville’s Netherlands team were dumped out of the World Cup last night by Morocco in what was one of the worst penalty shoot-outs you’re ever unlucky enough to see.
The Hammers wide man was one of the numerous players who failed to score after the game had finished 1-1 in normal time. But his attempt was far from the worst, as multiple other players missed the target completely.
A successful tournament despite the ending
Despite Summerville’s disappointment, his World Cup should be seen as a personal success, both for him and for West Ham.
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Let’s be perfectly honest, we were never going to be able to keep hold of him once relegation from the Premier League had been confirmed. Therefore, it was only ever a matter of how much money we could get for him.
I do believe a World Cup campaign which has seen him score and provide numerous assists will have increased his value from around £35 million to somewhere nearer £50 million.
West Ham’s bargaining position improves
That increased profile on the international stage has also seen the calibre of clubs being linked with his signature rise.
Now, Summerville has gone from looking like a likely transfer to Roma in Serie A to the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United being considered serious suitors.
Clearly, Old Trafford have bigger fish to fry, first of all because West Ham are still awaiting Manchester United’s first bid for Mateus Fernandes, having been promising to make one for the past fortnight.
Either way, a good World Cup has certainly seen Summerville’s value rise. And with West Ham in need of all the additional money we can get, that’s surely no bad thing.