By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)
Well, the mystery of why former West Ham winger Crysencio Summerville missed his private jet to Roma on Tuesday has finally been solved.
He was in Amsterdam having a medical for Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal instead.
The information has been revealed by The Athletic’s David Ornstein, who confirmed this evening that the Dutch winger has officially joined the Saudi Pro League side and completed his move away from West Ham.
Roma Left Waiting
As was widely reported on Wednesday, AS Roma had chartered a private jet to collect Summerville and fly him to Italy for his medical after agreeing a deal in principle with West Ham and securing permission to speak to the player.
Unfortunately for the Serie A club, they were left waiting with the aircraft on the tarmac.
Summerville never arrived.
According to Ornstein, there was a very good reason for that.
By Tuesday, the winger had already decided that his next destination would be Al Hilal.
Medical Completed In Amsterdam
Ornstein wrote:
“Crysencio Summerville has signed for Al Hilal from West Ham United. 24-year-old put pen to paper on a four-year deal – fee just over €70m to West Ham. The medical was done in Amsterdam on Tuesday.”
Whilst Roma will undoubtedly have had their noses put out of joint, the deal has worked out rather well for West Ham’s owners, who have secured at least £15 million more than they would have received had the winger moved to Italy.
From the Hammers’ perspective, it was well worth waiting.
The challenge now is ensuring that money is put to good use in the transfer market as Nuno Espírito Santo looks to reshape his squad ahead of the Championship campaign.
Crazy money