Copyright Teamtalk.com
Leeds United fans are utterly convinced that former star Crysencio Summerville will return to haunt them on Friday night amid a “prime Barcelona claim” when West Ham travel to face the Whites in a vital clash on Friday night, while Daniel Farke has called on one star in particular to raise his game against the Hammers. The two sides go head-to-head in a hugely important game at Elland Road. While only the ninth game of the new season, the result will likely have a major impact on both sides’ prospects of beating the drop. A win for Leeds can send them up to 11 points from nine matches played, and significantly a distant seven points clear of West Ham, currently on just four points themselves. But for the Hammers, a win will claw them back within a point of the Whites and, for a day at least, out of the relegation zone. If Leeds are to claim the win, they will need to keep West Ham’s dangermen quiet. And while Jarrod Bowen is the obvious threat, Dutch winger Summerville will also be a player to watch closely as he makes his first return to Elland Road since leaving in an initial £25m move to West Ham in summer 2024. But as Leeds prepare to welcome their former star back, Whites fans are unanimous in their fears that Summerville will be the one to bite the hand that once fed him. ‘Cree will play absolutely nailed on to play out of his skin, as will Bowen and Paqueta. All quality players,’ one began the conversation on Facebook, Another replied: ‘Summerville will play and will definitely score against us, thought he played ok on Monday [against Brentford].’ A third chimed in: ‘He will score the winner, after we have all the possession and no goals to show for it’, while a fourth added: ‘He’ll score two goals and have an absolute blinder.’ Another agreed, adding: ‘Yeah, he will absolutely score the winner.’ However, someone else believes the first 10 minutes are vital and the win is there for the taking for Leeds. ‘Keep him and Bowen quiet should be a win; they go gun ho for 10 minutes, then go to pot.’ Another believes West Ham are in serious trouble this season, based on Monday’s showing against Brentford, when they were comprehensively outplayed in a 2-0 defeat. ‘West Ham are in trouble after that showing. They were awful. But no doubt we will make them look like prime Barcelona!’ In response, someone stated: ‘Hope they play with the same enthusiasm they showed on Monday night, they were shocking.’ DON’T MISS ⚪🔵🟡 Big Leeds summer signing may have HUGE problem after what Jamie Carragher just revealed Farke calls on Anton Stach to step up for Leeds If Leeds are to claim the points, they will need Anton Stach to step up. The German was in good form for Leeds early on this season but put in arguably his worst game for the Whites last weekend during the 2-0 defeat at Burnley. And the former Hoffenheim star was criticised for not tracking back quickly enough as Loum Tchaouna rifled in a 25-yard strike for the Clarets’ second. Now, Farke, who has revealed Stach has been playing with a broken finger, to step up and show his authority again. “I think overall over the course of the first games, he has delivered really good performances,” Farke said of Stach. “A top signing and a key player for us. I would agree that over the past two games, he has not been at the top, top level that he’s shown before. “It was a bit to do with him playing with a broken finger. He had a problem with his body, so if you have two or three problems as a player, sometimes you are more concentrated on yourself than to play with freedom and to enjoy yourself. “I think you could tell this in the last few games for him. They were not poor performances but perhaps not on a top level like he was before. I think it will be important for him to get rid of this physical problem with his finger and ribs. “As soon as he is back to top physical fitness, he will then hopefully keep going and deliver top performances. This week of having time to recover was beneficial to him. And I hope he can step up a little bit.” The Leeds manager also wants his side to be more clinical in front of goal after failing to score at Turf Moor despite registering 19 attempts. “Overall, I’m pleased with the way we have played,” Farke said. “We’ve had several games where we have been dominant and been the better side but not the more effective side. “[We are doing] hard work on the training pitch to improve being clinical. The only statistic that matters is goals, and we know we have to be better.” Latest Leeds news: Bijol chance awaits; Meslier exit request blocked Farke, meanwhile, will have to decide whether to hand summer signing, Jaka Bijol, his Premier League debut after the player recently expressed his frustration at a lack of opportunities. And with Pascal Struijk one of the players Farke has listed as being doubtful for the game, Leeds fans have made it clear on the giant Slovenian. On the outgoing front, we understand Leeds are likely to block Celtic’s cheeky request to sign Illan Meslier on a free transfer in the January window, but sources are adamant a deal is there to be done if certain conditions are met. One player who won’t be allowed to leave Elland Road in January, though, is Joel Piroe, TEAMtalk understands, and with Farke insistent that the Dutch striker is still someone he relies on and having stressed to the player that his chance will come over the season.
