West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo is rolling the dice in attack in a bid to salvage the club’s Premier League survival and his job.
The Hammers have one of the biggest games of their season at home to fellow relegation rivals and his former club Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.
A defeat will see them drop seven points behind Sean Dyche’s side and at serious risk of being cut adrift of the bottom three.
After Ruben Amorim’s sacking on Monday morning, Espirito Santo is now the favourite to become the next manager to lose his job in the Premier League sack race.
Reports claim a defeat against Forest could spell the end for Espirito Santo.
West Ham Transform Their Attacking Options
Espirito Santo is hoping to change the club’s fortunes in front of goal with the two arrivals of Taty Castellanos and Brazilian striker Pablo Felipe for a combined £52million.
Castellanos, an Argentine international, arrives from Lazio in a deal worth £30m and is available to face Nottingham Forest just 24 hours after his announcement.
West Ham have cut their losses with Niclas Fullkrug after he joined AC Milan on loan until the end of the season.
Reports also claim that Callum Wilson, who joined the club in the summer on a free transfer, is also in discussions to leave the club this month.
Wilson, 33, has scored four goals in 18 games this season, but Espirito Santo is happy for the former Newcastle forward to depart.
On Sunday, the club also confirmed forward Luis Guilherme has left the club to join Sporting CP. The 19-year-old joined the Hammers for £25.5m in the summer of 2024 but only made 18 appearances for the club.
West Ham’s decision to completely alter their attack is not only a damning indictment of their transfer strategy in recent years, but also shows signs of panic as they face the reality of a return to the Championship for the first time since 2012.
They’ve scored 21 goals in 20 matches, with Jarrod Bowen scoring six, but also have the worst defensive record in the top flight with 41 goals conceded.
Taty Castellanos vs Callum Wilson
The pressure on Castellanos’ shoulders will be immense when he makes his West Ham debut.
Having joined from Lazio on a four-and-a-half-year deal, the 27-year-old doesn’t arrive with a prolific record, scoring 22 goals and providing 16 assists in 98 appearances.
Castellanos, who was described as a “key target” by the manager, has vowed to “give everything” to the club in their quest to remain in the top flight.
By signing Castellanos and allowing Wilson to leave, The Hammers are taking a huge gamble by allowing Premier League experience to depart by bringing in a player who may need time to adapt to English football.
West Ham fans have every right to be sceptical given their dismal record of signing forward players over the last number of years.
So what will Castellanos bring to the side for the second half of the campaign?
Castellanos will provide West Ham with more dynamism in the attack in comparison to Wilson.
He is described as a high-intensity forward who focuses on tireless running and pressing rather than waiting for chances to arrive.
Both players have made eight league starts this season, and the Argentine has won 46.7% of his aerial duels in comparison to Wilson’s 31.4%.
That is comparable to the last campaign, where he won 47% of his aerial duels, making him a threat on set pieces and long balls.
Last season, Castellanos also earned eight assists, which reflects his ability to drop deep and link play, something that may help get the best out of Bowen if they can build a solid partnership.
While Castellanos could be considered more of an ‘all-round’ striker, there’s little doubt that Wilson is more clinical when presented with chances.
Last season, despite his limited minutes, Wilson averaged a goal every 202 minutes, showing that even with limited fitness, he remains one of the most natural finishers in the Premier League.
