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After finishing what he called a “rollercoaster” transfer window, Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville has spoken about his “big ambitions” after officially signing for Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal, saying he is ready to help the Riyadh club win every trophy on offer.

Winger embraces big ambitions after frantic market breakthrough

Summerville has spoken with huge pride and strong competitive drive after finally completing what he describes as a genuine “rollercoaster” transfer story. The lively Dutch attacker has officially joined Al-Hilal, putting pen to paper on a guaranteed four-year contract that keeps him with the record Saudi champions until June 2030. The move comes after a highly unsettled domestic season in East London, which ended badly with West Ham being relegated from the Premier League.

Speaking directly to his new fans through the club’s media channels, Summerville admitted how quickly the deal came together. “I am very happy to have signed for Al-Hilal, the biggest club in the Saudi Pro League,” the winger said proudly. “I have big ambitions; I hope we can win all the trophies. I am a player for whom people come to the stadium. When a club like Al-Hilal comes, you think twice about everything. It is a great honour.”

Huge financial package overwhelms European rivals

The financial power used by the Al-Hilal hierarchy effectively swept aside European competition late in the window. Before the Saudi move, both Roma and Manchester United had shown active interest in the player, with the Italian club having a firm £39 million offer rejected by the Hammers.

Al-Hilal broke the deadlock by putting forward a stunning package worth an initial £55 million, rising to £60m with performance-based add-ons. That makes Summerville the third-most expensive exit in West Ham’s history. On a personal level, the football project is matched by huge earnings; the player is reportedly set to earn up to €17m per year after tax, taking the total value of the contract to €68m over the full length of the deal.

World Cup heroics confirm elite international standing

The sharp rise in Summerville’s market value was strongly driven by his excellent individual displays on the world stage this summer. The former Feyenoord academy product enjoyed a superb breakthrough tournament for the Oranje at the World Cup in North America, scoring two goals and emerging as a top-level outlet on the left wing.

His campaign eventually ended in painful fashion during a high-pressure knockout match against Morocco, where his decisive penalty was brilliantly saved by Yassine Bounou. In an interesting twist of footballing irony, the winger now walks straight into a star-filled Riyadh dressing room under manager Simone Inzaghi, where he will join Bounou, Karim Benzema, Ruben Neves, Darwin Nunez, Joao Cancelo and Theo Hernandez.

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A record-breaking deal

Summerville’s move is now the most expensive transfer of the summer in the Saudi Pro League and the third-costliest in the competition’s history. Only two deals have gone beyond the fee paid for the Dutch winger: Neymar’s headline move to Al-Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2023, reportedly worth around €90m, and Jhon Duran’s transfer from Aston Villa to Al-Nassr in January 2025, which cost the Riyadh club roughly €77m.