A cross between Dzeko & Berbatov? 

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West Ham’s search for attacking reinforcements appears to be edging closer to a decisive moment, with Lazio forward Taty Castellanos close to completing a move this January transfer window. According to reports, a deal has been agreed between the Hammers and the Serie A side for a fee in the region of €29 million, with the Argentinian set to be one of the first new signings at the London Stadium this month. This follows German forward Niclas Füllkrug moving in the opposite direction, signing for AC Milan on loan. West Ham are also expected to sign Gil Vicente Brazilian striker Pablo this window.

After a career that has taken him from New York City to Girona and now Rome, Castellanos has quietly built a reputation as a forward capable of thriving across different systems and leagues. His recent form for Lazio has only sharpened interest, and with West Ham keen to add firepower for the second half of the season in their battle to avoid relegation, the timing of a potential switch is becoming increasingly significant. With expert insight from Italy, Transfermarkt brings you more on Castellanos and what he can bring to East London.

What can Taty Castellanos bring to West Ham?

Stefano Buonfino is one of Transfermarkt’s Content Managers in Italy and has been watching Castellanos’ career closely. He brings us more on the Argentine: “Castellanos is an untypical striker. He’s difficult to evaluate because his added value is not his goals but the fact that he fits in very well with the team and links up play. In fact, he doesn’t score many but helps his teammates a lot, with and without the ball.” During his time at Lazio, Castellanos has scored just 22 goals in 98 games in all competitions.

“His experience at Lazio has been positive overall, with the only regret being his lack of goals,” continues Buonfino. “Lazio had come through years in which Ciro Immobile was always among the top scorers in the league (four times Serie A top scorer), and the team was structured around a goalscorer. With Immobile, Luis Alberto, and Sergio Milinkovic-Savic gone, Lazio had to undergo a revolution, but not everything went as planned.” The Eagles finished seventh in the Serie A table last season, and are eighth halfway through the current campaign.

Asked to compares Castellanos to another striker in terms of his style of play, Buonfino said: “It is difficult to compare him to other strikers because he has unusual characteristics. He is a mixture of a target man, a second striker, and an attacking playmaker. A bit of a cross between Edin Džeko and Dimitar Berbatov perhaps, but without the physical and athletic characteristics of these players. Perhaps he can be compared a little also to Richarlison, but their characteristics are not perfectly overlapping either.

“He can be successful in the Premier League, because he has the right determination to earn his place, but this will depend on the level of chemistry with his attacking teammates: wingers like Crysencio Summerville could find Castellanos to be a valuable ally, someone willing to work for the team and help the wingers make a difference in front of goal. But everyone needs to be willing and he needs the right amount of time to establish himself, and that’s not always easy after a January move.” West Ham are currently in the relegation zone, four points adrift of safety and need instant impact.