After relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2022/23 season, Leeds United dropped into the Championship, with Daniel Farke taking over as manager at Elland Road.
Countless players departed the club during the German’s first summer at the helm, giving him a tricky task to assemble a side that was good enough to challenge for promotion.
However, the Whites excelled throughout last season, producing numerous superb performances, including the 2-1 win against fellow title challengers Leicester City.
Ultimately, Farke’s side would fall at the final hurdle, losing 1-0 in the play-off final against Southampton at Wembley, with the boss once again losing key players after their failure to secure an immediate top-flight return.
One of those players caught the eye massively during the 2023/24 campaign, thriving with added minutes in the Championship and playing a huge role in their ability to get so close to promotion.
Crysencio Summerville’s stats for Leeds in 2023/24
Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville joined Leeds way back in 2021 but would have to bide his time to make a first-team impact, subsequently joining up with the academy side in Yorkshire.
The 2022/23 season would be his breakthrough year, featuring 33 times across all competitions but notching just four goals and being unable to prevent the club from dropping into the second tier.
However, relegation would be a blessing for his career, finally stepping up to the plate and registering 20 goals and nine assists in 46 league outings last campaign – subsequently claiming the Championship Player of the Year award.
Such form, coupled with the club’s failure to secure promotion, would see the 23-year-old leave Elland Road in a £25m deal to join West Ham United over the summer, banking the hierarchy a huge profit but also losing one of their star performers.
He’s since been unable to match such high levels of performance during his time in the capital, currently being outscored by one player who failed to deliver during his own stint in Yorkshire.
The former Leeds flop who’s outscored Summerville in 2024/25
Striker Eddie Nketiah joined Leeds on loan from Arsenal back in the promotion-winning campaign of 2019/20 but was ultimately unable to dislodge Patrick Bamford from the number nine role at Elland Road.
Marcelo Bielsa opted for the former fan-favourite over the loanee, restricting the young star to minutes off the bench or even cup minutes for his game time – starting just two Championship outings.
The now 25-year-old would score five times in his 19 appearances before having his move cut short and returning to the Emirates halfway through his season-long loan.
He’s since enjoyed multiple impressive seasons for the Gunners, notching four times in the same season as he was recalled, offering a key option in forward areas for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Nketiah continued in such vein for numerous years, scoring 31 times over the following four years, playing a key role in their attempts to end their own drought for a league triumph.
Arguably, his most impressive display came in the demolition of Sheffield United last season, scoring a hat-trick as he looked to become the Gunners’ main man at the top end of the pitch.
|
Eddie Nketiah’s stats since his Leeds loan move |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Games |
Goals |
Assists |
|
2019/20 |
17 |
4 |
0 |
|
2020/21 |
29 |
6 |
1 |
|
2021/22 |
27 |
10 |
1 |
|
2022/23 |
39 |
9 |
1 |
|
2023/24 |
37 |
6 |
3 |
|
2024/25 |
24 |
4 |
1 |
|
Total: |
173 |
39 |
7 |
|
Stats via FotMob |
|||
However, he was unable to do so, leaving in a £30m deal to join Crystal Palace last summer, but has once again struggled for starts, but has still managed to post a higher goalscoring tally than Summerville.
The former Leeds loanee has only started nine times for the Eagles across 2024/25, but has registered four goals in all competitions – a figure higher than that of the Dutchman, who’s only managed to find the net on one occasion.
There’s no denying both players are huge talents, possessing the skillset to make them top talents in the Premier League – showcasing their development after their respective periods in Yorkshire.
As for Nketiah, he’s demonstrated that football is a game of opinions, certainly proving numerous doubters wrong and putting his career in the right direction after his stop-start loan spell under Bielsa.
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