That West Ham United were in the mix for a £30 million striker in the first place – having already signed Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe – may seem a little odd.
That such an exorbitant fee can be attached to a centre-forward who hasn’t even proven himself worthy of nailing down a starting spot in the Dutch Eredivisie is, perhaps, even more worthy of a scratch of the proverbial bonnet.
To paraphrase West Ham United captain Jarrod Bowen, Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe have brought aggression, work-rate and physicality to the frontline. So far, though, relatively little goal threat.
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Castellanos fired the Hammers past QPR in the FA Cup but his conversion rate at Lazio – for whom he scored only 16 Serie A goals in over 70 matches – was a measly 24 per cent.
Pablo’s conversion rate put even Erling Haaland to shame in Portugal with Gil Vicente. But, then again, Darwin Nunez and Viktor Gyokeres scored goals for fun in the Primeira Liga. Pablo has the makings of a cult hero, for better or for worse; all-action, pedal-to-the-metal, but not especially gifted, perhaps.
Nuno has also taken to using Pablo as a high-pressing number ten, with Castellanos leading the line. Do the Hammers feel that, despite spending over £40 million on two strikers already, they still lack a genuine, goal-poaching number nine?
If The Sun are right, and West Ham really did want to sign Ricardo Pepi from PSV Eindhoven, this might explain it. Pepi, the report adds, has ‘turned down’ Nuno and co in favour of Fulham. The rather brutal assessment of Dutch legend Rafael van der Vaart, though, brings the phrase ‘dodged a bullet’ to mind.
Fulham are welcome to Ricardo Pepi as Rafael Van der Vaart criticises West Ham United-linked striker
Pepi has scored 17 Eredivisie goals in just 13 starts since the beginning of last season. On paper, a remarkable return.
But why has the 23-year-old USA international started so infrequently? He was stuck behind a 34-year-old Luuk de Jong last season. Now, converted midfielder Guus Til tends to lead the line.
PSV coach Peter Bosz likes his strikers to lead the line with aggression and physicality. Those are arguably the two areas in Pepi’s game where he struggles the most.
When you consider that Nuno tends to look for similar attributes in his number nines – Chris Wood and Raul Jimenez played their best stuff under him at Nottingham Forest and Wolves – then it is tempting to suggest that Fulham should be left alone to spend that £30 million with no argument from their East London neighbours.
“Get rid of him immediately. I think he’s a good striker, but he’ll never deliver,” Van der Vaart told NOS in typically forthright fashion. “I would sell him. I think he’s a good player, but I don’t believe he’ll score many more goals.
“He’s not really a starter.”
Pepi just doesn’t seem to fit Nuno Espirito Santo’s gameplan
Pepi boasts a conversion rate just shy of 90 per cent. However, he ranks in the 11th percentile when it comes to offensive duels won, compared to Pablo [80th percentile] and Castellanos [78th].
If Nuno wants a striker he can rely upon to lead the line, press the opposition, run the channels and provide an outlet for Jarrod Bowen to play off, then Pablo and Castellanos fit the bill. The West Ham boss – who will be looking ahead to Saturday’s clash with Chelsea – has never really shown much of an appetite for Pepi-like poachers, though.
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Are you selecting Fernandes over Palmer? Areola over Sanchez? What about Bowen?
£30 million for a striker who doesn’t appear to suit the manager or his system? Yeah, we’ll spend that on centre-halves and a new goalkeeper, thanks.
“He’s not a special footballer at all. He’s a good player, but not for the top of the Premier League,” Dutch reporter Mike Verweij told De Telegraaf a few weeks ago. “It’s no wonder Fulham is showing up and not Liverpool.”
Speaking of that looming trip to Stamford Bridge, Pablo and Castellanos will likely start up top again. A first Premier League goal for either player would represent an early return on that hefty investment.
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