If Nuno Espirito Santo found the lack of determination from his West Ham United charges ‘really concerning’ in Saturday’s debacle at Wolves, well, he won’t have to worry about that when it comes to Valentin ‘Taty’ Castellanos.
The new £27 million striker is very much a footballer in the typical Argentine mould.
He wears his heart on his sleeve, brings with him a fierce will to win, and a work ethic some of his new West Ham United teammates could learn from.
What he lacks in ruthlessness – while Pablo Felipe has a conversion rate better than Erling Haaland, Castellanos’ stands at just 28 per cent – few forwards in Europe can match his ferocity in the frontline. The former MLS Golden Boot winner ranks in the 79th percentile across all strikers on the continent when it comes to winning offensive duels.
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What does he need to do to justify that £27m price-tag?
And, when asked by West Ham’s social media channels to describe his game in one word, Taty Castellanos opted for ‘aggressive’.
No wonder the Hammers’ new number eleven is embracing those Carlos Tevez comparisons. While he may be hard pushed offering the same gold-standard quality as the Upton Park saviour, he will bring the same die-hard dedication that made his fellow Argentine such a fan favourite.
Taty Castellanos could help fix West Ham United’s lack of fight
Nuno Espirito Santo was disturbed by what he considered to be an absence of ‘effort’ during what felt like a real end-of-days performance against Wolves on Saturday.
3-0 down at half-time to a side who had not won a Premier League match in nine months.
Castellanos’ arrival will not turn Max Kilman into Bobby Moore, of course, but Nuno will be hoping he can lead by example and fire a rocket up many a proverbial backside with his infectious team spirit.
“It’s definitely a challenge. I’m really happy because it’s a very important challenge for me personally and I’ve come to contribute, to try to help the team as much as I can, and I’m very happy,” Castellanos tells the club’s official website in an interview which is bound to endear himself to the fanbase from the off.
“Yes, obviously we know that every match is a battle, and I’m here to contribute that. To try to bring that energy, that fighting spirit I have inside, so that every match is as important and as tough as possible.
“And well, that’s it. I’m going to try to give it my all on the field, which is the most important thing. The goals are obviously to be at 100 per cent in every training session and, of course, to always work hard and listen to the coach and all my teammates.”
Former Lazio striker brings ‘incredible’ energy to the Hammers
England is the sixth different country the globe-trotting Castellanos can now tick off his footballing bucket list. Having started out in Chile, he had spells in Uruguay, America, Spain and Italy before arriving in East London.
Castellanos insists that his ‘incredible’ appetite for success is as insatiable as ever.
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And who needs to step up?
“Of course, those were childhood goals; I wanted to play football, and well, I was able to reach the world elite, which is the Premier League here,” adds the 27-year-old. “Obviously, I went through many bad things as well as good, and the important thing is that I still have incredible energy, still intact, to achieve goals with this jersey.
“Well, to the fans, I obviously want to say that I’m going to give everything for this shirt. I’m going to try to give everything, just like I always have for every shirt I’ve played for. I come with a responsibility, and I know that being West Ham’s striker is a huge responsibility.
“I hope to give my all to the fans. I’ve always defended the jersey of every team with the utmost responsibility, and I want to tell them that I’m going to give everything during these years of my contract here, to defend this jersey, and obviously, to achieve our goals day after day.
“That’s the most important thing. And I also want to thank everyone for all the support they’ve shown me so far on social media. I hope to achieve those goals, and I hope to see you all soon on the field.”
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