Leeds United had their fair share of struggles in the transfer market last summer following on from their relegation down from the Premier League.
The Whites had a bloated squad that needed to be gutted to make way for Daniel Farke to bolster his side with new signings, which meant that several first-team players were ditched.
However, the Yorkshire-based outfit failed to find permanent buyers for a number of stars and were forced to loan out the likes of Robin Koch, Max Wober, Rasmus Kristensen, Marc Roca, and Jack Harrison, among others.
Leeds may face a different problem if they fail to earn promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, as they had to fend off suitors for Crysencio Summerville earlier this term.
Whilst the Dutch whiz is reportedly worth a hefty sum of money at the moment, if you adjust for inflation in football over the years then the Whites once had a winger who was sold for even more in the form of Harry Kewell.
How much Crysencio Summerville is worth
Earlier this season, Football Insider reported that Leeds valued Summerville at a fee of at least £25m, which came amid interest from two unnamed Premier League teams.
Meanwhile, FootballTransfers place his current Expected Transfer Value at €15.2m (£13m) at the time of the writing (21/03/2024), off the back of his impressive campaign in the Championship so far this term.
The 22-year-old gem scored four goals and provided two assists in 28 Premier League appearances for the Whites as they were relegated down to the second tier last season.
Playing in the Championship has allowed the former Feyenoord youngster to emerge as a regular starter for Farke on the left flank, which has given him a platform to shine in the final third.
The right-footed magician has proven his ability to score and assist goals on a consistent basis with a return of 15 goals and eight assists in 35 league appearances for the club.
Sofascore rating
7.79
1st
Goals
15
1st
Assists
8
2nd
Big chances created
16
2nd
Key passes per game
2.8
1st
As you can see in the table above, he has been one of the club's outstanding performers at the top end of the pitch in the Championship this season.
Summerville has the quality to provide goals and assists at an impressive rate, which is why the Whites value him around £25m, and why Premier League sides have shown an interest in securing his services this year.
He is not the first, and will not be the last, talented left winger to thrive in the final third at Elland Road, though, as Kewell dominated that wing during his time in Yorkshire.
How much Leeds paid for Harry Kewell
The Whites did not have to pay a penny in transfer fees to land the Australian forward as he joined the academy after a successful trial in England, having left his home country in 1993 as a 14-year-old.
After seemingly catching the eye through his performances for the various youth teams at Thorp Arch, Kewell made his first-team debut in the Premier League against Middlesbrough in March 1996.
The young whiz had to bide his time and wait patiently for his chance to impress as Howard Wilkinson and George Graham only handed him three first-team appearances throughout the 1995/96 and 1996/97 campaigns combined.
His emergence as a regular came the following season as Kewell scored five goals and assisted one in 29 Premier League matches during the 1997/98 term.
The Australia international's real breakthrough campaign came during the 1999/00 season, however, as the forward won the PFA Young Player of the Year award – ahead of Robbie Keane and Steven Gerrard – for his performances on the wing.
Premier League
36
10
2
UEFA Cup
12
5
2
League Cup
2
0
1
FA Cup
3
2
0
As you can see in the table above, Kewell produced 17 goals and five assists in all competitions to convince his peers that he was the best young player in England's top-flight that term.
Unfortunately, the magical dynamo suffered an Achilles tendon injury and only racked up two goals and seven assists in 26 matches during the 2000/01 campaign.
Impressively, the Leeds star recovered to score 22 goals and assist six in 58 Premier League appearances across the following two seasons at Elland Road.
How much Leeds sold Harry Kewell for
The Australian wizard's fantastic form for Leeds convinced Liverpool to swoop in – per Totally Money – with a fee of £9m to sign him in the summer of 2003.
When you adjust for the inflation of football transfer fees over the years, per Totally Money's index, the talented forward's £9m fee would be worth a staggering £37.8m in 2024 money.
This suggests that Kewell's sale would be worth almost £13m more than what Summerville is currently worth if the club had sold him to the Reds in the current day.
Leeds, therefore, struck gold with the exciting gem as they brought him through their youth academy and developed him into a huge asset to the club, financially and on the pitch.
They may now hope to do the same with the likes of Archie Gray and Mateo Joseph, who have both emerged as first-team players this season, as they could grow into key senior figures who could be worth multi-millions in the future if their respective careers continue to progress.
Kewell went on to play 139 times for Liverpool and produced 16 goals and 17 assists for the Premier League before his free transfer to Galatasaray in the summer of 2008.
The move to Turkey was criticised by some due to the passing away of Leeds fans Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight ahead of their UEFA Cup semi-final with Galatasaray back in 2000.
Kewell released a statement defending his decision, and emphasising his love for Leeds and sympathy for the families of both men, and claimed that rejecting the Turkish giants because of that incident would have been discriminatory, in his view.