Taty Castellanos opened his Premier League account when West Ham United beat Burnley a fortnight ago but, as Nuno Espirito Santo is keen to point out, the Argentina international offers more than just goals.
When completing that £27 million move from Lazio during the January transfer window, Castellanos promised he would bring ‘incredible energy’ to the London Stadium outfit.
Now, there are a number of ways you could read his comments. Taty Castellanos is certainly a centre-forward who plays the game with a great deal of desire; hassling and harrying opposition defenders from the first minute to the last.
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But, off the pitch, Castellanos also provides the hunger, the shark-eyed, bloodthirsty determination a club in West Ham United’s situation were crying out for, especially when Niclas Fullkrug was ambling around up top like he was auditioning for some Invisible Man remake.
The comparisons with another Argentine forward were inevitable, yet Castellanos is embracing those Carlos Tevez similarities rather than shying away from them. Should he do in 2026 what his compatriot did during the ‘Great Escape’ of ’07, then you can expect to see plenty of baby-blue and white-striped shirts at the London Stadium dotted around in a sea of claret.
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Nuno Espirito Santo opens up on Taty Castellanos impact at West Ham United
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s 5.30pm kick-off at home to AFC Bournemouth, Nuno Espirito Santo spoke about how fortunate West Ham are to have landed themselves a centre-forward with such personality and professionalism.
Castellanos, remember, made his first Premier League start only one day after completing his winter transfer on January 5th.
“I think we have been lucky to have him,” Nuno said during his pre-match press conference. “Since he joined, I think he’s brought a lot of good things to the team; the energy, the hard work, the goals, the way he plays football…
“We had a look at him [when Castellanos was at Lazio]. We decided to bring him because we believe in him.
“Him starting the next day [in a 2-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest], if it was the same day, it would be the same situation because there was a clear need for a player in that position.”
Tevez aside, Nuno may see similarities with his former Wolves striker Raul Jimenez.
Castellanos, like the evergreen Mexican who now plays down the road at Fulham, is a fine all-round centre-forward. While unlikely to trouble the Golden Boot charts, Castellanos is something of a number nine and a number ten rolled into one; equally comfortable leading the line as he is dropping deep and linking the play.
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Gary Neville talks up’ survival prospects with Crysencio Summerville and Jarrod Bowen in form
After opening his Premier League account with a terrific header in that 2-0 victory away to Burnley, Gary Neville could not help but be positive about West Ham’s survival chances. Nuno’s in-form side can leapfrog Nottingham Forest into 17th – albeit potentially for less than 24 hours – with a home win against Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth.
“I think West Ham might be OK,” Manchester United icon Neville said on The Overlap last week.
“When I watched West Ham at Chelsea in that first-half and then watched them [draw 1-1 with the Red Devils], I thought they could be OK because the guys up front aren’t bad.
“[Crysencio] Summerville, [Jarrod] Bowen, Castellanos and Pablo; they’re a handful by the way.”
Bowen has found his goalscoring touch again in recent times, while the ‘almost unstoppable’ Summerville has six goals in seven games across league and cup.
Nuno provided a positive update on Pablo Felipe’s fitness too, on Thursday, although a calf injury is expected to keep him out for at least another month.
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