West Ham now expect to wrap up late deal to sign Summerville upgrade

Staring down the barrel of relegation, it will be fascinating to see what transfer business West Ham United do before the end of the January window.

It seems like there could well be one major outgoing before the window slams shut in the next couple of weeks.

The Hammers’ London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, are said to be interested in signing winger Crysencio Summerville, albeit with it yet to be seen if he will be allowed to leave the London Stadium.

Reports suggest an approach has already been made by the Lilywhites, who could look to seal the shock move for a price around the £25m mark. That comes days after he scored the winner against them.

If Summerville does depart, the Hammers will need a replacement, and could well have someone lined up.

West Ham expected to wrap up next January deal

There certainly seem to be a few options for West Ham if Summerville does depart the club before the winter window is over. One name has already arrived in East London, with a deal wrapped up for Venezuelan winger Keiber Lamadrid.

However, Nuno Espirito Santo‘s side may well choose to sign another player as well, one with Premier League experience instead.

According to a report from TEAMtalk, they are ‘expected’ to sign Fulham winger Adama Traore, who could move across London before the month is over.

This seems like it will be a straightforward deal for West Ham to get over the line. The Spaniard is out of contract at the end of the season and will reportedly not sign a new deal.

That means the fee will not be very high, with the East Londoners quoted £7m as recently as last month.

How Traore compares to Summerville

Arguably one of the most important things when fighting relegation as West Ham are, is to have players with Premier League experience in the side. Traore has that in abundance, with 262 appearances in the top flight so far.

This season, however, the 29-year-old has struggled for any sort of consistency at Craven Cottage. He’s played 15 times, notching up just 262 minutes, the equivalent of three full 90-minute games. He’s gone without scoring or assisting in that time, too.

However, if there is one coach who knows how to get the best out of the powerful winger, it is Nuno. Traore has played 131 games under the tutelage of the Portuguese manager, more than anyone else.

With 28 goal involvements, he’s had the best success rate of his career in the final third under Nuno, too.

That goal highlights exactly what the Spaniard can bring to West Ham at his best. Pace, power and directness are the three key attributes of Traore’s game, with football talent scout Jacek Kulig once describing him as a “beast” of a winger.

If he were to move to East London, he could be an apt replacement for Summerville. It has been an up-and-down campaign for the Dutch winger, with one goal and three assists in 17 games.

It’s a far cry from his best season of top-flight English football, where he scored and assisted seven times for Leeds back in 2022/23.

Well, comparing that campaign with Traore’s best in the Premier League, 2019/20, shows why the latter man would be an upgrade.

For example, the Spaniard’s 1.7 chances created and 11.7 duels won per 90 minutes far outweigh Summerville’s 1.1 chances created and 6.4 duels won each game.

If West Ham can get anywhere close to that version of Traore, they will certainly be getting an upgrade on their Dutch winger. Indeed, that could well be considered the case already, with the Premier League experience he has crucial in a relegation fight.

The fact that Nuno is in charge of the Hammers is important, too. The Spanish star played his best football when he was his boss at Wolves.

If he can help him rediscover his best form, then this £7m deal could be perfect for the Hammers.

Related

West Ham now “hoping to sign” Premier League winger who could be Kudus 2.0

The Premier League star could add some much-needed chaos and urgency to West Ham’s attack.

Advertisement