David Sullivan to personally intervene as another West Ham exit eyed
West Ham have spent the majority of the transfer window trying to fight off interest in Lucas Paqueta.
Paqueta wants to leave West Ham to return to Brazil, and Flamengo have already seen a £30.3million bid rejected.
The Brazilian outfit are yet to return with a second bid for the London Stadium star, but his future remains uncertain.
He may not be the only Hammers star who Nuno Espirito Santo could lose this month, before the transfer window closes.
Who else is attracting interest at West Ham?
Crysencio Summerville has been linked with a West Ham exit, with Tottenham reportedly enquiring about his availability.
It is understood that the Irons value the former Leeds man at £25m, but Alex Crook believes that David Sullivan will personally intervene to stop a departure this month.
Speaking on talkSPORT on 22 January, he said: “I know there were stories yesterday that there was contact between Tottenham and West Ham with a view to potentially Summerville moving across London.
“David Sullivan, I think, would rally against that, if you look at West Ham’s last two games, Summerville has probably been their best player, he provides that bit of pace that is badly lacking, he provides that bit of attacking quality.
“I don’t envisage a situation, bearing in mind that Sullivan is trying to keep Lucas Paqueta from joining Flamengo at all costs, that he would cash in on Summerville.”
Why West Ham cannot afford to lose Summerville
The 24-year-old should not be allowed to leave, at any cost, as he is far too valuable for the East London club right now.
While he may only have one goal and one assist in 17 Premier League matches this season, his impact goes far beyond the numbers, which do not make for impressive reading.
He has electric pace and can stretch defences, which allows his teammates to have more space and could benefit the likes of Taty Castellanos and Jarrod Bowen as they try to keep the Irons in the division.
| Position/Club | Played | GD | Points |
| 16. Leeds | 22 | -7 | 25 |
| 17. Nottingham Forest | 22 | -13 | 22 |
| 18. West Ham | 22 | -20 | 17 |
| 19. Burnley | 22 | -19 | 14 |
| 20. Wolves | 22 | -26 | 8 |
Nuno’s side are currently five points away from safety, with 16 matches left to play, which is a very precarious position to be in.
In an ideal world, they cannot afford to lose Paqueta, but if he ended up forcing an exit, they definitely cannot lose Summerville as well, and especially to a London rival.
There is too much at stake for the E20 club, relegation to the Championship would be a disaster, and losing those two players would surely seal their fate, with an already tough run-in on the cards.
If they want to turn their situation around, and maintain their top-flight status, then they need the duo at their best, on the pitch, not playing for a different club, with money sitting in the bank.
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