Farke rages at ‘nasty and dirty’ foul on Leeds United star Crysencio Summerville
Daniel Farke has called Kamaldeen Sulemana’s challenge on Crysencio Summerville during the clash between Leeds United and Southampton on 4 May “nasty and dirty”.
Leeds went into the final day of the Championship season needing to beat Southampton and for Ipswich Town to lose against Huddersfield Town but were beaten 2-1 at Elland Road, while the Tractor Boys claimed a 2-0 victory.
During the Whites’ clash with the Saints, Sulemana caught Summerville on the ankle with a reckless tackle which sparked a furious reaction from Joel Piroe, who was subsequently booked for his protestations.
And Farke took an equally dim view of the challenge, with Leeds Live quoting him as saying in his post-match press conference (4 May): “Overall, I hope first assessment of Cree was not too bad.
“I’m happy it’s not a broken ankle for Summerville. Nasty and dirty foul against him. Hope he is okay.”
Leeds United cannot afford to lose Crysencio Summerville
Summerville’s importance to Leeds ahead of the playoffs can hardly be understated.
The 22-year-old is the Whites’ top scorer across all competitions with 20 goals, 19 of which have come in the Championship, making him the joint-third highest scorer in the division overall, behind only Southampton’s Adam Armstrong and Blackburn Rovers’ Sammie Szmodics.
His creative contribution should not be understated, either. Only Georginio Rutter’s 18 assists across all competitions can eclipse the winger’s total of 10 so far among Leeds players [Transfermarkt].
In the Championship, Summerville also ranks top among his teammates for xG, with 16.4 and xA (expected assists), with 12.4 [FotMob].
To lose their most influential attacker on the eve of the playoffs – in a game that turned out to be a dead rubber anyway, due to Ipswich’s win over Huddersfield – would have been a bitter blow indeed for the Whites.
Farke will be glad that his star forward seems to have avoided any serious damage – but he is rightly angry at the nature of the challenge Summerville was on the receiving end of.
In other Leeds United news, a new stumbling block has emerged in the Whites’ transfer push for Joe Rodon.
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