What would Sam Allardyce do differently if it was he, rather than Nuno Espirito Santo, tasked with masterminding West Ham United’s Premier League survival?
Well, Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville would have to get used to different roles in the attack if Allardyce made a very-hypothetical return to the London Stadium.
West Ham signed Matt Jarvis and Stuart Downing on Sam Allardyce’s watch following their return to the Premier League in 2012. The man who guided West Ham United to a play-off final victory over Blackpool remembers instructing Jarvis and Downing to forget about shooting and instead focus on supplying the ammunition for the giant centre-forward that was Andy Carroll.
When was the last time a West Ham player excited you so much?! 😍
A graphic on a quote from Jean-Clair Todibo on Crysencio Summerville reading: "When he takes the ball, I think everyone is scared in the league."
Credit: Getty Images/Rob Newell – CameraSport
If he had his way, Nuno Espirito Santo’s current widemen would be performing a similar role in 2026.
Sam Allardyce would change Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville’s roles at West Ham United
Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Allardyce admits he is sick of seeing wingers turn down crossing opportunities in search of a goal of their own, while bemoaning what he feels is an alarming lack of Jay-Jay Okocha-esque mavericks in the modern game.
“Jay-Jay Okocha, going off on a dribble, he’d either create a goal or he’d smash it in the back of the net at the end of it. That was the beauty of Jay-Jay, you know; dribble and beat players, drop the shoulder, whatever he might do,” says Allardyce, who helped one of the Premier League’s most mercurial talents thrive in a free role at Bolton Wanderers.
West Ham United v Burnley - Premier League
Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images
“And so we want more of that! Some of the younger players that are coming through have got that ability and hopefully they can express that as they grow in their careers.
MORE WEST HAM STORIES
“When are we going to see a left-footer play on the left and a right-footer play on the right instead of the opposite? Everybody plays a left-footer on the right and a right-footer on the left. I mean, why do we keep persisting in that way of playing? I don’t understand.
“The players have become obsessed by it now.
“At West Ham, I had Matt Jarvis and Stuart Downing. They came to me and said, ‘He wants to play on the left and he’s right-footed, and I want to play on the right and I’m left-footed.’ I said, ‘How come? I’ve got Andy Carroll, 6 foot 3ins, in the box. I want you to cross it for him!’
“[Wingers these days] turn a cross down so many times!”
Taty Castellanos needs more service under Nuno Espirito Santo
Bowen and Summerville have thirteen Premier League goals between them in 2025/26. All five of the latter’s strikes have come since the turn of the year.
Nuno explains Summerville’s explosion of end-product by highlighting a greater sense of self-confidence, while also instructing his forward players to put themselves in goalscoring positions on a more regular basis.
The downside to Bowen and Summerville’s cut-in-and-shoot approach, though, is that crosses into the centre-forward have become pretty rare of late.
Summerville touch-and-go for the FA Cup quarter-final! 🏆
Who would you pick to START vs Leeds?
Select your favourite for each position and we will collate an XI based on your overall votes!
Taty Castellanos has not registered a shot on target in five of his eleven Premier League appearances. While the Argentine has to shoulder some of the blame himself, it is fair to say service like that provided by El Hadji Malick Diouf’s wicked left foot in February’s 2-0 win at Burnley has been few and far between.
Bowen averages 0.6 crosses per game, while Summerville averages only 0.4.
Ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final between two of Allardyce’s old employers – West Ham host Leeds at the London Stadium – the 71-year-old would presumably like nothing more than to see Castellanos channel his inner-Andy Carroll.
To do that, however, requires some much-needed service from the wide areas.
The introduction of a more old-school winger in Adama Traore – Summerville remains a doubt for the Leeds visit due to that calf injury – could help.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox