If the West Ham United faithful were content enough to let Lucas Paqueta pursue his dream of a return to Flamengo, let’s just say the reaction would not be quite so forgiving if Crysencio Summerville was sold before the transfer deadline.
As Nuno Espirito Santo explained during his press conference on Thursday lunchtime, Paqueta pursued a Brazil homecoming for personal reasons.
West Ham United would reluctantly grant him his wish, with Paqueta revealing he ‘[needed] this for his mental health’ after a two-year spot-fixing investigation which understandably took its toll.
West Ham did all they could but Lucas Paqueta STILL wanted out! 😡
Do you respect his stance? Or do you feel let down? Hit the comments 👇
Yes, the timing could have been better. The Hammers have lost arguably their most creative outlet in the heat of a relegation battle. But the reasoning is sound, given Paqueta’s recent performances and a handy £35 million windfall.
Fortunately, despite reports suggesting that Crysencio Summerville is also attracting attention, there is no chance that another of Nuno’s frontline attackers is going anywhere.
A source told Hammers News last week that West Ham would not sell Summerville unless they decided it was for the good of the club. Right now, with three goals in three successive games, and the spark which ignited a dramatic turnaround in form, selling the Dutchman would almost be akin to raising the white flag and accepting their fate.
This has not stopped the speculation, however. Or, for that matter, the offers.
Fabrizio Romano claims that Roma tried to sign Summerville this week. Quite the U-turn, then, considering that their head coach Gian Piero Gasperini said in the middle of the window that no more attacking additions were planned.
Roma U-turn leads to Crysencio Summerville approach as West Ham United say ‘no’
Summerville, Romano adds, is ‘untouchable’. Well, unless a ‘crazy offer’ comes West Ham’s way.
What constitutes ‘crazy’ is up for debate, of course. But a £30 million winger playing the best football of his Hammers career, and perhaps their best bet of securing survival? If West Ham want to remain a Premier League club, selling Summerville for any fee would surely be ‘crazy’ at this late stage of the window.
To think, as recently as January 17th, Gasperini claimed that Aston Villa loanee Donyell Malen would be Roma’s first and only attacking signing of the winter.
“No, [we will not sign another forward]. This is something I keep repeating,” said the legendary former Atalanta coach.
Then again, Gasperini said this before Aston Villa recalled Leon Bailey. And, as the 2024 Europa League winner himself said, transfer windows can be unpredictable. You never know what sort of opportunities will arrive, necessitating a change of approach.
“Spending on players who don’t improve the team’s quality is pointless,” he added. “if opportunities arise that can improve the team, as happened with the Malen situation, then we should seize them. Otherwise, we’ll continue as we are.”
If Paqueta left for £35m, how much is Summerville worth right now? 🤑
Roma made an offer in January…
Serie A giants focusing on loans with Yannick Ferreira Carrasco the most likely signing
According to Tuttomercatoweb, and contrary to Gasperini’s earlier claims, Roma have made signing a left-winger one of their top priorities before the window closes.
Now, if the Giallorossi had money to burn, they could maybe think about dropping a sizeable offer on Nuno’s desk. As it is, Financial Fair Play restrictions make cut-price additions and initial loans the order of the day.
Malen, for instance, joined on loan, albeit with the option to make the transfer permanent next summer for £26 million. TMW add that, with West Ham setting out their stall, Yannick Ferreira Carrasco is ‘virtually [the] sole candidate’ to arrive in the final days of the window.
The 32-year-old Belgian veteran is ready to take a pay cut in order to join Roma from Al-Shabab in Saudi Arabia. Any permanent fee, meanwhile, will surely be a fraction of the sum West Ham would want for Summerville.
“We had some very stringent Financial Fair Play parameters to stick to,” explains Roma director Frederic Massara. “We knew that we wouldn’t be able to complete the [squad building] process in one session. [Using loans] is a necessity rather than a choice, due to the obligations undertaken with UEFA.
“Carrasco is also a very strong player. It’s never easy to [sign anyone] in January. We’ll wait until the last week to see if we can strengthen the squad, which is very strong anyway.”
Summerville scored in four straight matches for Leeds back in 2022, the final one being a dramatic late winner at Anfield. He can repeat the trick by finding the net against Chelsea on Saturday.
“Roma made an important attempt,“ Romano said on his YouTube channel.
“At the moment West Ham are not letting the player go. For West Ham, he is untouchable unless crazy offers arrive.“
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