The Whites are looking at the attacker as a possible Premier League signing this summer.
Leeds United are currently preparing to take on Norwich City in the first leg of the semi-finals of the Championship play-offs at Carrow Road on Sunday.
The Whites endured a rough end to the regular season to miss out on automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, as Leicester City and Ipswich Town finished in the top two.
Daniel Farke’s side won one and lost four of their last six league matches and must now wipe their recent run of poor form from their memory in order to hit their top level against the Canaries in a huge game next weekend.
Leeds are still competing to win promotion back to the Premier League but they will need to knock David Wagner’s team out of the play-offs and then beat Southampton or West Bromwich Albion at Wembley in the play-off final to do so.
He has the quality to be a constant threat to opposition defences with his pace, movement, finishing, passing, and crossing, which all contributed to him being handed the Championship Player of the Season award.
The former Feyenoord youngster had been a bit-part player during the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, starting just 12 times in 28 appearances, as his team were relegated from the top-flight.
Relegation to the second tier provided the 22-year-old dynamo with an opportunity to play week-in-week-out and craft his talent as a key figure in the club’s attack.
| 23/24 Championship | Crysencio Summerville |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 43 |
| Goals | 19 |
| xG | 16.41 |
| Assists | 9 |
| xA | 12.53 |
| Big chances created | 17 |
| Key passes per game | 2.6 |
| Stats via Sofascore | |
As you can see in the table above, it has been a hugely successful year for the right-footed winger in the final third, with 28 direct goal involvements in 43 appearances.
Summerville could also be justified in being frustrated with his teammates as they have not made the most of his outstanding creativity in the league.
He has only racked up nine assists from 17 ‘big chances’ created and an xA of 12.53, which suggests that his fellow attackers have been wasteful in front of goal at times.
His current centre-forward teammates have struggled with their finishing as Georginio Rutter has scored six goals from 14.7 xG and Patrick Bamford has managed eight goals from 11.11 xG.
Leeds could now pair him with a striker who has been lethal in front of goal this season by striking a deal to sign Batshuayi, who John Hartson once claimed has “genuine quality”, on a free transfer in the summer.
Why Leeds should sign Michy Batshuayi
The Whites should push ahead with a move, as reportedly planned, for the Belgian marksman if they win promotion to the Premier League as he is an experienced forward who has been in fantastic form this season.
He is a number nine with experience in English football, having scored 25 goals in 77 matches for Chelsea and eight goals in 33 games for Palace, and this suggests that the talented ace would not need much time to adapt to the country.
That could make him a safer option for the club than, for example, a young striker who has not played in the Premier League or in England at all, as there is existing evidence of him scoring goals in the league the team are hoping to play in later this year.
His form in Turkey during the 2023/24 campaign also shows that Leeds would be bringing in a striker who is in form and full of confidence ahead of next term.
| 23/24 Super Lig | Michy Batshuayi |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 24 |
| xG | 10.82 |
| Goals | 11 |
| Minutes per goal | 55 |
| Conversion rate | 25% |
| Assists | 1 |
| Stats via Sofascore | |
As you can see in the table above, Batshuayi has been in lethal form in the Super Lig for Fenerbahce with 11 goals from an xG of 10.82, and one strike every 55 minutes on average.
The 30-year-old star, who has scored 23 goals in 40 matches in all competitions, has been an efficient finisher, as shown by his performance against his xG, and that is why he could thrive alongside Summerville.
Batshuayi, who has racked up 43 goals in 72 games for Fenerbahce since the start of last season, has the potential to offer significantly better finishing than Bamford and Rutter, based on the trio’s respective form in front of goal.
Therefore, the Belgian ace could be a fantastic signing to partner with Summerville, whose exceptional creativity could provide the striker with enough chances to be an excellent goalscorer next term.
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