Leeds hit the jackpot with £1.5m signing who’s now worth 1,823% more

Leeds United made the decision to part ways with their sporting director Victor Orta in May of this year shortly before their relegation to the Championship was confirmed.

The Whites relieved the Spaniard of his duties alongside manager Javi Gracia and opted to bring the experienced Sam Allardyce to keep them in the Premier League.

They were unable to prevent the club from finishing in the bottom three and the ex-Leeds chief may shoulder plenty of the blame as his transfer dealings and managerial decisions played a part in the side’s downfall.

Orta had a number of questionable big-money signings throughout his time at Elland Road, including the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Dan James, and Luis Sinisterra, who all struggled to make an impact at the top level.

However, the now-Sevilla sporting director also enjoyed plenty of success as he appointed Marcelo Bielsa and achieved promotion to the Premier League, alongside two seasons of survival in the top-flight.

He also picked up a number of talented young gems in the transfer market and Daniel Farke is now reaping the benefit of some of those moves; including current first-team star Crysencio Summerville.

The fee Leeds paid for Summerville

Orta swooped to sign the then-18-year-old winger from Dutch giants Feyenoord for a reported fee of £1.3m ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.

He put pen to paper on a three-year contract with the Whites at the time and was billed as one for the future under Bielsa’s reign, having signed alongside Cody Drameh and Joe Gelhardt that summer.

The teenage maestro arrived in England off the back of a season playing regular first-team football for ADO Den Haag on loan in the Eredivisie.

Summerville racked up 21 top-flight appearances throughout the 2019/20 season and contributed with two goals and one assist from a wide position.

Despite his young age and lack of experience, the 18-year-old ace did showcase his exciting dribbling ability with 1.5 completed dribbles per match that term, with an impressive success rate of 63%.

His promising displays for Den Haag on loan may have convinced Orta and Bielsa that he was an excellent prospect who could grow and develop into being a useful first-team player for Leeds over the subsequent years, and so it has proven.

Summerville’s Premier League statistics

Leeds opted against sending him out on loan during the 2020/21 campaign but the teenager was unable to force his way into the first-team squad.

He made 14 appearances for the club’s U21 outfit in all competitions and caught the eye with six goals and seven assists in total, which is almost one goal contribution every match on average.

His outstanding performances for the academy side led to him making his senior bow for the Yorkshire-based team against Newcastle United in the Premier League in September of 2021, under Bielsa.

Summerville went on to play six top-flight matches, and nine senior games in total, throughout the 2021/22 season, along with seven goals and one assist in 14 U21 clashes.

The talented whiz was then able to establish himself as a regular first-team figure last season under Jesse Marsch, Gracia, and Allardyce as Leeds were relegated from the Premier League.

He featured in 28 of the club’s 38 top-flight matches and chipped in with four goals and two assists in 12 starts for the Whites, as they dropped down to the Championship.

Interestingly, though, Summerville ranked within the top 34% of his positional peers at Premier League level for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.25) that season, which suggests that his goalscoring threat was above average.

He also put the hard yards in defensively and ranked within the top 25% or higher among his peers in the top-flight for tackles (1.89) and interceptions (0.82) per 90 respectively.

Summerville’s statistics this season

The club’s relegation to the Championship provided the talented forward with the perfect opportunity to really hit his stride in a Leeds shirt and become an influential figure on the pitch.

German head coach Daniel Farke was brought in to replace Allardyce and has made Summerville one of the key cogs in his attack, which has proven to be a fantastic decision by the ex-Norwich City tactician.

The 22-year-old forward has been one of the standout performers on the pitch for the Whites with his ability to score goals and create chances for his teammates on a regular basis to spearhead their promotion charge.

Summerville has recorded an impressive six goals in ten Championship starts so far during the 2023/24 campaign, which is a tally that none of his teammates have been able to match. Joel Piroe (five) is the only other Leeds player with more than three strikes, and this illustrates how important the Dutch winger’s contributions have been.

The former Feyenoord prospect also leads the way for the Whites with 2.6 key passes per game and only Georginio Rutter (five) has managed more assists than him (four) for the club.

Summerville’s current market value

Summerville, who Voetbal International journalist Suleyman Özturk hailed as “complete”, has caught the eye with his performances this season and there has been speculation over his future at Elland Road.

Football Insider recently claimed Leeds value the talented gem at a figure of at least £25m and that fee would likely increase if Farke leads the team to promotion to the Premier League this season.

The outlet added that two unnamed top-flight clubs have shown an interest in the Dutch phenomenon but there is no mention of how serious that interest is.

It is also stated that Leeds are not looking to sell Summerville as they see him as being crucial to their hopes of returning to the top table at the first time of asking.

Irrespective of whether or not they decide to cash in on him in January, the club seeing him as a £25m player proves that Orta hit the jackpot by signing him from Feyenoord in 2020.

The 22-year-old whiz is now worth a staggering 1,823% more than the £1.3m they paid to sign him in the summer of 2020, whilst Football Insider’s report left the door open for that value to increase further if the club achieve success on the pitch this term.

Orta, therefore, deserves praise for his particular deal as it is now benefitting Leeds due to his performances and his possible resale value in the future.