Leeds United: The perfect like-for-like Crysencio Summerville replacement is Andreas Skov Olsen | OneFootball

Leeds United's Crysencio Summerville is arguably their best and most irreplaceable player, and has taken the Championship by storm this season, and it was imperative the Whites kept him in January.

Relegation is rarely good for a club, but the one player in particular who Leeds are reaping the rewards from retaining this summer is with the Dutchman, with the winger emerging as one of the most dynamic, and exciting attacking players in the Championship this season.

The Dutchman made the move from Eredivisie club Feyenoord in September 2020 for a fee of just £1.3 million, which was an absolute bargain in hindsight with the then 18-year-old signed as one for the future, initially linking up with the club's Under-23 side and was instantly among the better players in that age group.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, as Summerville came with a strong reputation after playing 21 league games for Dutch top-flight side ADO Den Haag the previous season. After ripping up the development teams for Leeds, he broke through to the first-team in a meaningful capacity last year, scoring four times and providing a further two assists from 28 Premier League games.

Summerville's 2023/24 season

Alongside Georginio Rutter, Summerville has become the most crucial forward for Daniel Farke. Prior to the game against Leicester City on Friday, he had scored 16 goals and created a further nine this season from 32 games in all competitions from the left-wing, cementing him as Farke's go-to winger from a number of wide options available.

Now 22, Summerville has shown exactly why Marcelo Bielsa and Victor Orta brought him to the club three-and-a-half years ago. Farke's pool of players on the flanks is the deepest part of his squad, but Summerville is the most productive, impacting Leeds through various phases of play by coming deep to show for the ball or making the final action in the attacking third with 25 goal involvements already.

Summerville signed a new deal at the start of last season, keeping him tied down at Elland Road until the summer of 2026. Leeds were hopeful he could improve upon last term and develop in the second tier, and he certainly has.

Retaining him in January in spite of his good form and contract situation was crucial for the club, with Summerville extremely likely to be in the running for the Championship Player of The Season award come May.

However, there is always a chance that they fail to bounce back at the first time of asking this season, meaning Summerville will almost certainly be moving on for a better opportunity at a higher level. Here, we have taken a look at the most similar player, according to FBref's tool based on statistics.

Andreas Skov Olsen and Crysencio Summerville

Andreas Skov Olsen is by far one of the most exciting attackers on the continent outside of the big five leagues, and, like Summerville, will surely be playing in one of them one way or another next season.

The Danish international plays on the right and cuts in onto his left foot, where he has 19 goals and eight assists from 39 games for Belgian giants Club Brugge. He is not a direct analogue to the Leeds winger in that sense, but mirrors much of the Dutchman's game, but instead from the right-hand side.

Realistically, that means he is not the obvious call that Leeds would look to should they lose Summerville, unless they flip the dynamics of how each winger plays. There is also every chance that the Danish international is well out of their reach, as the 24-year-old's next move is likely to be upwards in terms of the footballing ladder.

With Skov Olsen being a wide player that thrives off of 1 vs 1 duels against defenders, he naturally has good dribbling ability and uses quick bursts of acceleration to get past his marker. That is extremely similar to Summerville, who will carry the ball into traffic and congested areas, but trust in his ability to keep the ball close to him whilst he glides past them with short spurts of speed.

Another facet of his dribbling is the ability to occasionally make something out of nothing. His athleticism helps with that but he is also a taller and more powerful forward than Summerville, allowing him to beat his marker through sheer physicality.

According to Transfermarkt, Skov Olsen is worth around €18.00 million, and, although that is likely to be undervalued somewhat, he is also playing in a league which is notoriously undervalued in general. If they are promoted and lose Summerville, or if another top-flight club in one of the big five leagues is interested, then they are likely to come knocking at Brugge's door soon, whilst he is still not quite in his peak.