Nuno Espirito Santo will be well aware that Tuesday night’s clash with Nottingham Forest is a must-win game.
Nothing less than all three points will do for the Hammers, as they look to close the gap on 17th placed Nottingham Forest in the Premier League table.
Nuno has some big selection headaches ahead of the match, with West Ham duo Lucas Paqueta and Jean-Clair Todibo fighting hard to be passed fit.
In addition to that, the Hammers boss will have new signings Pablo Felipe and Valentin Castellanos available for selection.
How do you PREDICT Pablo and Castellanos will get on at West Ham?
And who is coming next, do you think?
West Ham completed the signings of Pablo and Castellanos over the past few days, and Hammers fans will be hoping the South American duo have a similar impact to the one that Paul Kitson and John Hartson had at the club 28 years ago.
But could the London Stadium faithful see the Brazilian and the Argentine in action against Sean Dyche’s Forest on Tuesday night?
Pablo and Valentin Castellanos claims made ahead of West Ham vs Nottingham Forest
Despite the negative atmosphere in and around the London Stadium right now, the signings of ‘Taty’ Castellanos and Pablo seem to have injected some positivity back into the club.
And boy, do the Hammers need that.
Nuno has spoken about the qualities of the two new signings ahead of the Forest game.
And in a piece on West Ham’s official website titled ‘Taty and Pablo set for debuts’, the Hammers boss explained the impact he expects the duo to have at the London Stadium.
“Now we are in the moment of rebalancing our squad,” Nuno explained.
“Two players came in, Taty and Pablo, who I consider good options, players that can help. We need help from those that are coming, but we are the ones that have to improve and make the situation better.
“They are two players that I really believe can bring new things to the team. We had many, many names coming across and Pablo and Taty were the ones that I personally consider that can create an impact. Us as coaches and clubs, these are good chances to try and rebalance.
“It’s the first transfer window that we have. We have to try and make it right. Players that come with purpose, players that come with the intention to really help, be brave to join us in this situation.
“They need to be brave and we need to make sure that they come with a purpose. So Taty and Pablo, they come with a purpose.”
West Ham changes incoming for Nottingham Forest clash
By praising Castellanos and Pablo to the hilt, and suggesting that both have arrived with a real ‘purpose, Nuno could well be hinting that the two South Americans are ready to feature for West Ham in the must-win Forest game.
What are your EXPECTATIONS for Taty Castellanos? 🇦🇷
What does he need to do to justify that £27m price-tag?
One thing’s for sure, the Hammers need much more pace and dynamism in the centre-forward position.
It’s fair to say that the two South American strikers will definitely provide West Ham with those two qualities.
However, whether either of them will be thrown in from the start by Nuno Espirito Santo is probably unlikely.
West Ham fans can expect to see one come off the bench at some point against Nottingham Forest, or maybe even both of them, depending on the game-state.
That said, there will likely be big changes all over the pitch after Saturday’s shambolic defeat to Wolves.
Hopefully Paqueta and Todibo will be back for the Forest game, as West Ham look to close the gap on the visitors to just a single point.
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