West Ham United will still be without Pablo Felipe when they travel to Premier League champions Liverpool on Saturday.
But, fear not, the January signing is making good progress.
Nuno Espirito Santo confirmed before West Ham United’s 0-0 draw with AFC Bournemouth that Pablo Felipe is ‘getting better each day’. It may take a few more weeks, but the £18 million former Gil Vicente forward will be back with plenty of games to spare.
What is the BEST and the WORST thing you’ve seen from Pablo Felipe so far?
Be honest in the comments 👀
It remains to be seen if Roma can be just as optimistic regarding Artem Dovbyk.
West Ham United will be glad they didn’t take Roma’s Artem Dovbyk bait
Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport reported two days before Christmas that Roma were hoping to sell the Ukraine international to the Hammers for a knockdown fee of £20 million. A fortnight later, Pablo was joined at the London Stadium by Taty Castellanos, and Nuno’s striker search was over before the second week of January.
The severity of Dovbyk’s recurring hamstring injury, meanwhile, makes Pablo’s look like a scratch by comparison.
“I have 14 or 15 players who have rarely been injured – touch wood,” Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini said after the former Girona talisman missed Sunday’s 3-0 victory over Cremonese.
“But there have been cases like Dovbyk, [former Hammers loanee Evan] Ferguson, [Leon] Bailey, and now [Paulo] Dybala. Maybe I’m forgetting a few…
“They’ve had very long-term injuries. If you count the number of days lost, we’re talking about players who have been out for months.”
That Cremonese victory was the 12th match Dovbyk has missed with that troublesome hamstring issue.
From a West Ham perspective, that the 2024 La Liga Golden Boot winner has not played a minute since January 6th – one day after Castellanos put pen to paper – should have the relegation battlers counting their lucky stars.
Much has been made of the so-called striker ‘curse’ at the London Stadium. Paying £20 million for Dovbyk only to lose him to injury immediately – to an injury seemingly more serious than Pablo’s – may have had even the most level-headed Hammers supporter calling for an exorcism at Rush Green.
Dovbyk admitted West Ham wanted to sign him from Girona
According to Roma Press, Dovbyk hopes to return in time to face Inter Milan on April 4th after undergoing surgery. Should all go to plan, Pablo will have already got a few games under his belt by then.
You can see why Roma identified the Hammers as a potential solution to their Dovbyk problem.
West Ham tried to sign Dovbyk back in 2024, after all, when the striker was very hot property of back of topping the La Liga charts with Girona. That Niclas Fullkrug joined instead hardly means the Hammers had the last laugh. But with only 15 goals in 45 Serie A matches, and injuries wrecking his second season in the Italian capital, Roma have also seen relatively little return on their own investment.
“It was my decision [to join Roma],” Dovbyk said a few months back, translated by Tuttomercatoweb.
“There were negotiations with Atletico, which then didn’t end well. I think someone at the club really didn’t want me. West Ham were also there and I also spoke to the coach [Julen Lopetegui at the time].
“So there were three options; Atletico, West Ham and Roma.”
Taty Castellanos hopes to have Pablo Felipe back soon
Where can Taty Castellanos IMPROVE?
Are you losing faith in him?
After seeing their side fail to break Bournemouth’s resolve despite mustering 20 shots and an XG of 3.15, many Hammers News readers argued that Nuno should recall Callum Wilson alongside Taty Castellanos at Anfield.
West Ham won three out of four league matches with two strikers starting up top together, scoring 2.25 goals per game. With only Castellanos against Man United and Bournemouth, the Londoners accumulated only two points and two goals.
The results speak for themselves.
Therefore, Castellanos is counting down the days until Pablo’s return. The Argentine, stuck on one league strike so far, points out that his best performances at Lazio often came when he had another number nine to bounce off.
“I am a very different player compared to the ‘penalty-box striker’ of the past,” Castellanos said this week, speaking on Agusneta and Teo D’elia’s YouTube channel.
“I like it more with a two number nines. I feel more comfortable. In the first few games, we played with another nine too, with the kid Pablo who just arrived.
“And well, he got hurt. Now, I’m playing alone.
“My second year with Lazio, I had a blast because we played with two strikers and a playmaker behind with Pedro. I played a lot with Pedro or [Boulaye] Dia and, honestly, we got tired of scoring goals and playing well! We finished first in the Europa League [group] and everything!”
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
