One of the first challenges Nuno Espirito Santo gave himself, when replacing Graham Potter at West Ham United, was to get more out of Crysencio Summerville.
The winger was in the midst of a 14-month barren streak at the time of Nuno’s appointment last September. It would take him until January 2026 – a run of 28 games – to finally hit the target once again.
When Summerville confirmed his initial £55 million move to Al Hilal this weekend, he left West Ham United on the back of his best-ever scoring season in the Premier League, not to mention a breakout World Cup campaign with the Netherlands.
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Nuno Espirito Santo wanted more from Crysencio Summerville in the final third. Boy, didn’t he get it?
Now, as Summerville’s departure creates a hole on the left-hand side, the jet-heeled Josh Ajala will hope to throw his hat into the ring as a potential replacement. A solution, perhaps, to the post-Summerville problem.
West Ham United kid Josh Ajala shares many attributes with Crysencio Summerville
A lot of the qualities Nuno talked about when going off on Summerville-themed tangents can also be attributed to young Ajala.
“I think he can be really important,” said Nuno, who is picking up the pieces following Monday’s dreadful home defeat by Brentford as he looks for a first win since taking over as Hammers boss.
“With the position that he occupies, he has to make a difference with his speed, with his talent,” Nuno said when only a few weeks in the job. “I believe that he can give us big, big help in the future.
Three months later, Summerville became the first West Ham player since Jesse Lingard to score in five successive matches. A sixth in seven games came when he stepped off the bench to devastating effect in a narrow FA Cup victory over Burton Albion.
“He’s doing a good job. He’s in a good moment,” Nuno beamed in Burton. “Forward players need this confidence, and he has that one-v-one [ability]. When he can use it in [these kinds of] spaces, he’s almost unstoppable.”
‘Almost unstoppable’; that would be a fitting description of Josh Ajala’s exhilarating second-half performance when West Ham slapped Stevenage 5-0 on Tuesday night.
A goal and an assist, not bad for a 45-minute outing. Ajala showed great instincts when he flicked a wild Kaelan Casey volley into the net, before darting in at the far post as Jett Murphy netted a first Hammers goal since joining from Chelmsford in June.
The moment that really caught Hammers News’ eye, though, came when Ajala drove at his full-back, cut inside, and delivered a sublime cross which forced a dramatic intervention inside the six-yard box. Both against Stevenage and three days earlier at Southend, the 19-year-old did not need asking twice. Almost every time he received possession, Ajala sprinted towards goal, twisting his marker this way and that, before delivering a cross or an occasional shot.
Brimming with youthful exuberance, Ajala appears to be one of those forwards who looks to ‘make something happen’.
Ajala has ‘got all the attributes’ to make it at West Ham
Nuno called Summerville ‘unstoppable’. ‘Unplayable’ was the word West Ham’s official website used when Ajala racked up 11 goals and assists in 11 Premier League 2 matches between January and April.
The speed, the directness, and the one-v-one qualities Nuno praised when talking about Summerville also apply to another in claret and blue.
“He doesn’t get into physical battles when he doesn’t need to. He pulls off shoulders, finds space and gets on the ball again and again,” Academy Manager Kenny Brown said of Ajala’s transformation from a number nine into a Summerville-esque left winger.
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“He doesn’t just receive the ball in forward areas, he maintains possession and is progressive with it. He wants to be facing goal as soon as he receives the ball. His retention of the ball and his end product are up there with the very best.
“I think what you’ve seen is him developing as a footballer. He’s not just a number nine now. He can play across any of the front three positions and he’s got all the attributes; his work rate, his finishing with both feet, and he’s still going to grow physically too.
“I’m sure Josh will continue to be involved around the first team, working alongside senior players where the levels really jump. I have no doubt he’ll adapt to that and it’s exciting.”
Another stand-out showing at Ibrox at 4pm this afternoon, and some at West Ham may be wondering if they have found their Summerville replacement on the same weekend that the Dutchman’s departure was confirmed.
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