Contrary to recent expectations, Crysencio Summerville is not heading to AS Roma after all, but to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia. In the end, the offer from the sheikh-owned club was apparently too tempting.
A transfer of Crysencio Summerville from West Ham United to AS Roma was already in the works, with media reports indicating an agreement among the three parties worth 50 million euros. But now an even wealthier player has stepped in: Al-Hilal from Saudi Arabia. In Riyadh, the 24-year-old is signing a four-year contract and is reportedly set to bring in up to 65 million euros for the Premier League relegation team.
Summerville had caught the attention of top international clubs not least thanks to his impressive performances at the World Cup, where he scored twice from long range and set up two more goals in four appearances. In the desert, the winger can now certainly look forward to a significantly higher paycheck than Roma could have offered him.
Summerville’s presentation alone provides a clear indication of this. “The board of Al-Hilal expressed its gratitude to His Royal Highness Prince Alwaleed bin Talal for his generous support in covering the entire cost of Summerville’s transfer,” reads the official statement regarding the transfer.
It remains to be seen, however, whether the Dutchman will be able to continue to earn a spot on the Dutch national team there. At the very least, he’s starting training right away and has already joined the team at their training camp in Austria.
Many familiar names at Al-Hilal
It had already become apparent that Summerville would leave the Premier League relegation team after two years, as interest from other clubs was too great. In total, after two years with the Hammers, he made 50 league appearances, scoring six goals. He also set up four more goals last season, but ultimately couldn’t prevent the team’s relegation to the Championship.
The fact is that at the runner-up of last season’s Saudi Professional League, Summerville will encounter a few familiar names from Europe. For example, the club has signed Moroccan national team goalkeeper Bono, former Bayern Munich player Joao Cancelo, as well as Theo Hernandez, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Ruben Neves, Malcom, and, last but not least, the two strikers Darwin Nunez and Karim Benzema. The goal for the upcoming season will be to dethrone defending champions Al-Nassr, led by Cristiano Ronaldo.
