West Ham United’s struggles to sign a convincing striker have been well-documented, but the arrivals of Callum Wilson, Pablo Felipe and Valentin Castellanos look increasingly likely to yield success.
Perhaps, then, West Ham United have turned a corner. The striker curse may have been lifted after all.
To pretend that any of Wilson, Pablo or Taty have been perfect signings would be unwise. All have their flaws.
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What is also true, however, is that all have their uses. If West Ham stay up this season, they will have all played a big part.
Wilson, Pablo and Taty threaten to end West Ham’s striker curse
None of these signings were particularly heralded at the time, to the point where Wilson almost left east London after only a few months during the January transfer window.
Still, without the three of them, West Ham could not be dreaming of Premier League survival right now.
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Wilson might not convince over the course of a whole game but without his goals this season, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side would be at least four points worse off.
Taty and Pablo, meanwhile, might not be as reliable in front of goal as the England international but they provide the energy Wilson lacks.
Clearly, the jury is still out on all three, and definitive conclusions can only be drawn at the end of the season.
Still, for a club who have consistently made terrible decisions when it comes to signing strikers for years now, to land three who have made a profound impact this season in two consecutive windows is relatively impressive.
West Ham’s striker curse has been going on for years and though it’s not been fully lifted just yet, there are certainly signs to suggest that it is ending.
These are functional signings rather than fantastic ones, and they are just what the doctor ordered.
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