taty castellanos has five goals in 19 appearances for West Ham United, but the club need more from him now. With three Premier League games left and a place in the bottom three after last week’s loss to Brentford, every missed chance carries extra weight in the relegation fight.
Castellanos And West Ham
Valentin Castellanos is Nuno Espirito Santo’s first-choice striker, and the January signing has already scored four Premier League goals. West Ham brought him in during Nuno’s recruitment drive, expecting him to help deliver points when the margin for error tightened.
Instead, his finishing has become part of the pressure. Castellanos has missed gilt-edged chances against Crystal Palace, AFC Bournemouth and Brentford, and West Ham are now a point adrift after Tottenham Hotspur took the initiative following the Brentford loss.
Arsenal, Newcastle, Leeds
The schedule leaves no room for a slow start. West Ham play Arsenal this weekend, travel to Newcastle United after that, and finish the run against Leeds United at the London Stadium.
Those are the three chances left for Nuno’s side to pull themselves clear. Castellanos has spoken several times about his dream to play in the Premier League, and West Ham now need his goals to match that ambition before the season runs out.
“For all intensive purposes, the 27-year-old has helped in more ways than one, and the Hammers now have a chance to save themselves.”
The next three matches will decide whether that chance turns into survival, and Castellanos is the striker West Ham are counting on to make the difference in front of goal.
