"Without a doubt" - Crysencio Summerville claim made involving ex-Leeds United ace Max Gradel | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Crysencio Summerville has earned a lot of praise for his performances for Leeds United this season.

The winger has contributed an impressive 15 goals and eight assists in Daniel Farke’s side so far.

The Dutchman has played a key role in the club’s rise to second in the Championship table, with the team aiming for automatic promotion to the Premier League.

Summerville signed for the Whites in the summer of 2020 in a deal worth just £1.3 million, which is increasingly looking more and more like one of the best bits of business in the Yorkshire outfit’s history as he grows in importance to the squad.

The forward has gone from strength to strength under the German, and will be hoping to power the team back to the top flight at the first attempt this campaign.

Summerville in a class of his own

FLW’s Leeds fan pundit Kris Smith has claimed that Summerville’s performances for the team this season put him up there with Max Gradel as one of the best the club has seen in recent years.

He believes that the 22-year-old has surpassed the likes of Jack Harrison and Luis Sinisterra with the quality of his displays this term.

“As much as I absolutely loved watching Max Gradel when I was younger, I think Summerville has probably surpassed the quality he showed for Leeds on the left-wing,” Smith told Football League World.

“Obviously that’s debatable, but what I can say is that, without a doubt, Summerville is the best left-winger we have had since Gradel.

“Because the only two that come to mind are Jack Harrison, who has been too inconsistent with his performances, and jumping ship in the summer just means he’s less favourable in my eyes.

“And the same can be said about Luis Sinisterra, who on his day was Leeds’ best player in the Premier League, plain and simple.

“But he was consistently injured, and then jumped ship before he had the chance to do what Summerville is now doing under Daniel Farke.

“Summerville’s goal return has just exploded this season, and I don’t think there’s many winger in Leeds’ recent history that can touch his record.”

Crysencio Summerville's Leeds stats

Gradel joined the Whites during the 2009-10 campaign, helping the club gain promotion to the Championship with six goals and four assists from 32 games.

In the following season, he bagged a further 18 goals to help the team finish seventh in the table in their first year back in the second division.

Meanwhile, Summerville is one of the standout figures in the Championship, with his recent performances proving especially impressive.

He ranks as one of the best wingers in the division statistically speaking, and will be a key asset for Leeds going forward.

Leeds must hold onto Summerville

Leeds have seen a lot of interest in Summerville since suffering relegation last season, and have done well to hold onto him up to this point.

But they will know that failure to get promotion will make it even tougher to keep him, especially as his performances continue to improve.

That makes it imperative that they do go up this year, as the Whites risk losing him if they don’t.

If he can stay at Elland Road for another few years, and continue to play this well, then there is no doubt that he will be remembered very fondly by supporters for a long time to come.