Claret and Hugh Exclusive
Back in the 80’s -some of you will have drifted off already – a TV soap opera had half the world transfixed over a storyline that read ‘Who Shot JR’ and seemingly everybody you spoke to was caught up in the ‘whodunnit’ tv plot trying to work out who’d been responsible for the act of tv infamy.
The TV series sprang to mind this morning whilst looking through the communications between Sean Whetstone, Claret and Hugh’s associate editor – and West Ham United’s high ranking source, over the decisions to buy players this summer, over Lopetegui’s appointment and Steidten’s agreement to proceed with the Spaniard’s recruitment.
Because there was an intriguing third piece of information that almost seeped un-noticed under the door and trickled away, before I read it again. It adds mystery to the recruitment of one Hammers player this summer- you’ll know from the photo already that it concerns the transfer of Crysencio Summerville from Leeds United in the Championship.
Whilst the highly-placed source at the club confirmed that Tim Steidten was responsible for player recruitment this summer – and head coach Lopetegui focuses solely on coaching and picking the teams as we wrote earlier, there was one player who came via a different source to West Ham.
Crysencio Summerville has turned out to be a pretty inspired signing at the club, early signs are good following his first – half debut against Chelsea on Saturday. It seems he’ll be able to make the step-up from The Championship in a similar manner to that of captain Jarrod Bowen. So, it would be expected that Steidten would be happy to take the credit for highlighting Summerville as the player to go for.
But Steidten wasn’t responsible.
Neither, it seems was Lopetegui!
In a twist that is very ‘West Ham’ our source has revealed that a mystery ‘third person’ at the club ‘loved a good championship player‘ and ‘really pushed for Summerville’: The plot thickens. So – the new Hammers mystery – ‘Who Pushed for Summerville’? You’d expect whoever it was to acknowledge the fact as Summerville is well on the way to becoming a huge Hammers Success.
I just thank Tim Steidten for having the sense to go along with this ‘third person’ pushing – and for the successful recruitment of our new speedy winger. Imagine the headlines if Steidten had quashed the move and Summerville had gone onto greatness at -say – Aston Villa? Doesn’t bear thinking about!