Crysencio Summerville has just made a mockery of his former boss Graham Potter with comments in a revealing new interview.
West Ham are heading into a new era under Nuno Espirito Santo after Graham Potter was sacked.
A whole host of Hammers stars, including Crysencio Summerville, have been raving about Nuno.
There is a collective belief among the players at West Ham that the team will climb the table under the Portuguese.
A belief that was clearly missing under Potter as one weak, dismal display followed another during a completely underwhelming eight months at the London Stadium.
Nuno already proving a major upgrade on Potter at West Ham
Potter managed just six wins from 25 games in charge of the Hammers and was sacked with the worst win ratio of any permanent West Ham boss in history.
The Englishman was heavily criticised over team selection, tactics and a lack of passion.
Many fans also felt he was too much of a pushover for both the players and the owners and did not command enough respect to turn things around.
Nuno is already winning high praise on all those fronts and his first two games in charge have been encouraging with the team noticeably more organised, resilient, determined and hard-working.
While the age of West Ham’s squad needed to be reduced in the summer, Potter made the controversial call to release decades of experience and leadership by letting Aaron Cresswell, Michail Antonio, Lukasz Fabianski and Vladimir Coufal walk out of the door.
Potter then rather bafflingly bemoaned a lack of character and leadership in his side.
After his sacking, it emerged from a top Hammers journalist that Potter fell out with several West Ham stars.
His biggest falling out has probably emerged after his departure, though.
Because Athletic journalist Roshane Thomas reported sources close to Potter revealed he had serious concerns over ‘Bowen’s inability to captain West Ham’.
Thomas also reported that Potter acknowledged Bowen was the club’s best player but did not feel he naturally suited the captaincy role.
West Ham star Summerville makes a mockery of Potter
That was a particularly low blow, especially given West Ham’s skipper and talisman fronted the disastrous Potter reign on a weekly basis for the cameras when the sacked head coach would repeat the same lines ad nauseum week in, week out.
Bowen responded directly to Potter’s leaked criticism with his celebration after scoring at Everton.
Bowen was seen mimicking a mouth talking with his hand and then cupping his ears and appearing to say ‘keep talking’.
Now West Ham star Summerville has made a mockery of Potter with his own comments in a revealing new interview.
Summerville is one of the shining lights for West Ham this season.
A top Nottingham Forest journalist says Nuno will make Summerville world class for the Hammers.
Alongside Bowen, the duo will carry West Ham’s hopes for the rest of the season.
But the flying Dutchman has showed just how ridiculous Potter’s leaked criticism of Bowen’s captaincy is.
Because Summerville says West Ham have a player who is a ‘true leader’ in Bowen.
Make no mistake, West Ham’s players will be well aware of the report on Potter’s criticism of Bowen’s leadership.
Summerville contradicts Potter by saying Bowen is a ‘true leader’
Now in a direct contradiction to the sacked Hammers boss’ comments, Summerville says all the players – including him – look up to Bowen as their leader in every sense.
“You always see a defender as a captain, but he leads the team,” Summerville told the Premier League.
“He’s an example for all of us, even for me, I try to learn from him.
“He’s at the club for so long, he’s a true leader.”
Fair play to Summerville for speaking up for his skipper.
Bowen may come across as quiet and unassuming but not all captains need to rant and rave.
They say there is no higher praise than that of your peers.
So this will mean the world to Bowen, who Summerville also labelled West Ham’s ‘game-changer’.
Bowen is West Ham’s true leader, something Potter was never cut out to be.
