Credit: Imago and ESPN

Daniel Lewis

Sat 28 March 2026 13:40, UK

Leeds United striker Joel Piroe is eager to convince West Ham United star Crysencio Summerville to switch international allegiance to Suriname.

Piroe made his debut for the South American country on Thursday night as they fell to a 2-1 loss to Bolivia in World Cup qualifying.

The 26-year-old had also been eligible to play for Netherlands, the country of his birth, but was not capped at senior level.

Having now committed to Suriname, and played in a competitive fixture, Piroe is no longer able to change back.

And the exit-linked Leeds attacker could potentially still be joined by Premier League star Summerville if he gets his way.

Joel Piroe wants Crysencio Summerville to join him with Suriname

Summerville and Piroe know each other well, of course, given their time together at Elland Road.

Like Piroe, Summerville also qualifies for both the Netherlands and Suriname. It looked like he was going to get his first call-up to the Dutch senior squad this month, only for injury to strike.

The West Ham attacker is well within his rights to hold out for a call-up ahead of the World Cup, but Piroe would love to see him represent Suriname if not.

“I’m definitely going to bother him a little bit about that,” Piroe told ESPN. “We’ve talked about that before.

“I think the situation is just a tiny bit difficult for him too. He’s getting more minutes at West Ham and is doing really well there.”

Piroe was speaking prior to Suriname’s defeat to Bolivia, which signalled the end of their bid to reach this summer’s World Cup.

That will undoubtedly be something Summerville takes into consideration when he deliberates over his own international future.

How Summerville could derail Leeds’ season next week

Summerville made 85 appearances for Leeds prior to joining West Ham, where his career got off to a slow start but has taken off this season.

Injuries have hampered the attacker, though, and he is currently fighting to be fit in time for next week’s FA Cup quarter-final showdown with Leeds.

It is tough to work out where that game ranks in terms of importance ahead of some crucial Premier League games, but Daniel Farke has to name his strongest possible line-up.

Getting to Wembley would be a brilliant day out for Leeds fans and, more importantly, would leave the Whites on course for some rare silverware.

Summerville will have different ideas, of course, and Leeds supporters do not need reminding of what he is capable of.

Fingers crossed he has an off day, if indeed he is available, with Leeds’ campaign now at a critical stage in proceedings.