From the MLS to La Liga, from Serie A to the Premier League; there are not many competitions left for Taty Castellanos to tick off his bucket list following that January move to West Ham United.
The globe-trotting Argentina international has now played in three of the so-called ‘big five leagues’ of European football.
Castellanos’ infamous four-goal destruction of Real Madrid remains the highlight, as it would for most players across the history of the game, but the former New York City FC, Girona and Lazio forward tends to create a pretty good impression wherever he goes.
Where can Taty Castellanos IMPROVE?
Are you losing faith in him?
The Hammers failed to break down Bournemouth in Saturday’s 0-0 draw. But, as is usually the case when he pulls on a West Ham United jersey, Taty Castellanos got the fans on their feet when chasing down defenders and defending manfully from the front.
West Ham United striker Taty Castellanos feels the Premier League is ‘by far’ the best
Speaking on Agusneta and Teo D’Elia’s YouTube channel, Castellanos has already decided that the Premier League is a level above his previous destinations.
“I’m happy, really happy. Truthfully, it was the league I was missing,” says the 2021 Major League Soccer Golden Boot winner.
“I had already played in the Spanish league, the Italian league, and I was missing this one which, for me, is the best league in the world.
“Firstly, because of the class of teams here. You have many more big teams and anyone can compete with you.
“The Premier [League is the strongest competition], by far. Even though I’ve been here a short time, yeah, from what I can see so far, definitely.”
English football is a lot more ‘fun’ than Serie A
Castellanos spoke about the ‘unbelievable quality’ in West Ham’s squad before that Bournemouth clash. Like fellow mid-season recruit Axel Disasi, the South American appears to have been taken aback by the sheer level of talent available to a side stuck in the Premier League’s relegation zone.
Not to come over all Anglo-centric, but the likes of Crysencio Summerville, Jarrod Bowen and Mateus Fernandes would walk into many Champions League-chasing sides on the other side of the Channel.
“Look, the Italian league is very defensive, man,” adds Castellanos, who scored only 16 Serie A goals in 75 games for Lazio. “For me as a striker, it was quite hard. The idiosyncrasy of Italy is much more defensive, so it was tough for me because there are many teams that sit back and it’s complicated for a striker.
“I enjoyed it a lot, obviously. I loved the Italian league anyway.
“But here [in England], it’s much more physical. [There are quick] transitions, they attack much more. So for a striker, it’s more fun.”
Crysencio Summerville taking on the Carlos Tevez role
Castellanos has a penchant for the acrobatic, and very nearly opened his London Stadium account on the Premier League stage with an audacious overhead kick against Bournemouth. His two goals so far – away to Burnley and against Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup – were both scored with his head.
“I think we have been lucky to have him,” Nuno Espirito Santo said last week. “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.”
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Castellanos embraced the inevitable comparisons with Carlos Tevez when he arrived last month. One of Argentina’s finest-ever forwards famously saved the Hammers from relegation in 2007.
Former boss Alan Pardew feels Crysencio Summerville is taking on the Tevez mantle these days. Like the Man United, Man City and Juventus icon, it took the suddenly free-scoring Summerville until after Christmas to finally open his account, with the goals flowing ever since.
“I was at the West Ham vs Forest game,” Pardew tells talkSPORT. “West Ham had gone ahead early, but Forest turned it around. At that point, it felt as though they couldn’t win!
“They’d only won three games all season, and you thought they’d never win three more. Yet, they’ve now got themselves to six wins.
“Historically, to get out of the bottom of the division, you need one of your offensive players to really come to life. Tevez springs to mind. At the moment, they’ve got Summerville.
“He has come into a rich vein of form and that is massively important. Nottingham Forest haven’t got that [talismanic presence] at the moment, so West Ham have that slight advantage.”
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