West Ham plot move for Championship star to replace Crysencio Summerville | OneFootball

West Ham United are reportedly interested in Stoke City winger Sorba Thomas this summer if Crysencio Summerville departs

West Ham United are yet to make any notable additions since relegation to the Championship for the first time in 14 years, as Hammers fans wait in anticipation for their club to do some important business in what is a huge summer for the club.

Things at the London Stadium are yet to really click into gear for West Ham, as aside from Keiber Lamadrid’s loan from Venezuelan side Deportivo La Guaira becoming permanent, there have been no arrivals through the doors at the London Stadium.

Whilst exits have been few and far between as yet, Mateus Fernandes’ £85 million switch to Tottenham Hotspur will certainly help to mitigate the losses of Premier League revenue in East London, but the Portuguese midfielder is not expected to be the only exit this summer- far from it.

The likes of Jarrod Bowen, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Crysencio Summerville have all been linked with moves elsewhere, with the latter having been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United.

Should Summerville leave, it goes without saying that his presence on the left flank will be hugely missed and in need of being replaced, as the Hammers have seemingly set their sights on a player who lit up the Championship last season in case of the Dutchman’s exit.

West Ham United are interested in Stoke City’s Sorba Thomas in case Crysencio Summerville leaves the club this summer

Action images

Summerville, 24, joined West Ham in the summer of 2024 from Leeds United for a base fee of £25 million plus add-ons, and since then, has gone on to score eight and assist seven in 56 games across all competitions in the English capital.

The Dutchman was called up to his national team for the World Cup in North America, where he scored twice and assisted twice in four games for his country before being defeated by Morocco on penalties, with the winger missing the final spot kick.

Despite this, interest in Summerville hasn’t wavered, and with an exit looking increasingly likely at some stage this year, an alternative on the left flank ought to be a priority, as according to the West Ham Way Patreon, Stoke City’s Sorba Thomas is an option for the club this summer.

Thomas, 27, joined Stoke last summer from Huddersfield Town following a loan spell in France for Nantes, for a fee believed to have been less than £2 million.

In his first year in North Staffordshire, the Welsh international hit double digits for both goals and assists in the Championship, scoring ten and assisting 11, and by all accounts, being the Potters’ most important player bar none, especially in the absence of Viktor Johansson.

Whilst Thomas and Summerville both prefer to operate off the left flank where they can cut in on their right, the Welshman is more of a creative presence, preferring to whip crosses into the box whenever the opportunity arrives, with his delivery being second to none in the entire Championship, reflected in his league-leading 90 chances created last campaign, as per FotMob.

Stoke’s lack of a natural goalscorer was the only thing stopping Thomas from an all-time second-tier campaign, as the 27-year-old’s stock has risen rapidly in the Potteries since his switch from West Yorkshire.

Thomas spent time in West Ham’s academy as a youngster before spending five years with Boreham Wood, where he eventually earned his move to the EFL with Huddersfield in 2021, as the rest is history.

A reunion in West London could be on the cards this summer, though with a contract running until the summer of 2028, the Potters will have no intention of selling on the cheap, as the Hammers will likely have to stump up a significant amount to lure him back to the capital.

No formal move for the Welshman has been made as yet, but Thomas remains a target for the Hammers in the event of Summerville’s exit, with his situation certainly one to keep an eye on as the weeks roll by.

Sorba Thomas would be an excellent Crysencio Summerville replacement for West Ham United and Nuno Espírito Santo

Action images

Hammers boss Nuno Espírito Santo will be keen to ensure his squad doesn’t become weaker despite relegation, and adding Thomas to their ranks would go some way to guaranteeing that.

Nuno has swapped between a back three and back four formation across his career, and what system he chooses to deploy with West Ham in the second tier next year, at this stage, remains to be seen.

Though Thomas is capable of playing in either, having deputised as a wing-back as well as a winger across the course of his career, offering a versatility the Portuguese head coach would absolutely value, and something that Summerville cannot offer.

The Hammers should be looking to sign the Championship’s best this summer following relegation, and Thomas would fit the bill and then some.