Crysencio Summerville’s rebirth as a West Ham United player may be a direct result of Lucas Paqueta’s exit from the club in January.
That is according to former West Ham United goalkeeper David James.
Summerville is in “unstoppable” form for West Ham United right now, having scored six goals while registering one assist in his last seven appearances.
Indeed, Summerville is becoming West Ham’s talisman and James does not believe it’s much of a coincidence.
Is this just a purple patch or is Summerville really one of the best forwards in the Premier League? 🤔
A graphic showing Nuno Espirito Santo's quotes on Crysencio Summerville. It reads: "Everything he does seems to go well, so we have to take advantage."
Credit: Getty Images/Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/Allstar
Paqueta left West Ham to sign for Flamengo in January. Prior to this season, the Brazilian would have been seen as one of the club’s leading players alongside Jarrod Bowen.
At his best, Paqueta was capable of match-winning moments. Still, his final few months here in east London were a struggle, and Summerville has stepped up following his departure.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily Podcast, James said: “I think the whole West Ham situation is interesting.
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“With Paqueta leaving, I think what has happened now is the rest of the players have the opportunity to flourish and I think Summerville has fallen into that. If you look at his recent form it’s all since Paqueta has not been there.
“I thought he [Summerville] was a great signing when they signed him and have been waiting for him to show the kind of form from when he was at Leeds and sometimes he was superb. Now we’re seeing it.”
Crysencio Summerville celebrates with Lucas Paqueta after the Brazilian scores for West Ham against Nottingham Forest.
Photo by Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images
Crysencio Summerville’s record while playing alongside Lucas Paqueta
Summerville played alongside the Brazilian on 34 occasions and they combined for just two goals.
During the 2024/25 campaign, Summerville scored one goal while registering two assists across all competitions.
The Dutchman scored against Manchester United in the Premier League back in October 2024 but Paqueta had left the pitch by that point.
How will you remember Lucas Paqueta? 🤔
A graphic showing Lucas Paqueta's all-time statistics for West Ham.
Credit: Getty Images/Sebastian Frej/MB Media
Summerville, however, did record an assist for Paqueta in West Ham’s FA Cup defeat to Aston Villa in January 2025.
Just one of the winger’s ten direct goal contributions this season came while Paqueta was on the pitch. Since the Brazilian left, he looks like a player transformed.
Lucas Paqueta’s relationship with Crysencio Summerville at West Ham United
Paqueta and Summerville did have a good relationship at West Ham, but supporters didn’t see them strike much of a partnership on the pitch.
What is clear is that Summerville has stepped up without Paqueta. How closely his rapid-fire improvement is linked to Paqueta’s sale is up for debate, but Summerville’s improvement is undeniable.
It will be fascinating to see if Summerville can continue in this rich vein of form going forward.
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