Taty Castellanos West Ham Transfer Confirmed: Hammers Land Lazio Striker in €30m Deal

West Ham United have sealed the signing of Argentine striker Valentín "Taty" Castellanos from Lazio in a deal reportedly worth around €30 million. The 27-year-old forward has signed a long-term contract with the Hammers as manager Nuno Espírito Santo bolsters his attack for the Premier League relegation battle. Castellanos’ arrival follows the departure of Niclas Füllkrug and the addition of Brazilian youngster Pablo, signaling West Ham’s intent to add firepower this January.

Deal Confirmation and Contract Details

Multiple sources in Italy and England have confirmed that West Ham and Lazio reached a full agreement for Taty Castellanos’ transfer. Sky Sport Italia reported that Castellanos even arrived at Lazio’s training ground merely to say goodbye to teammates and clear out his locker before flying to London for a medical. According to veteran journalist Alfredo Pedullà, West Ham agreed to pay Lazio a fixed fee of about €30 million (with potential bonuses) for the Argentine striker. That fee represents a hefty profit for Lazio, who signed Castellanos for roughly €15 million in 2023. His former club New York City FC will also benefit from a sell-on clause of 10–15% of the fee.

Crucially, Castellanos has signed a four-year contract with West Ham, securing his future in East London. Renowned transfer expert Fabrizio Romano even gave the move his “here we go” confirmation, indicating the deal (around €29 million) and long-term agreement were in place. An official announcement from West Ham United is expected to include further details of his contract (reportedly a lucrative deal through 2029) and a formal unveiling of the player.

Why West Ham Signed Castellanos

West Ham’s interest in Castellanos comes amid a pressing need for goals and attacking spark. The club sits in the Premier League drop zone and had been left with veteran Callum Wilson as the only natural striker after Niclas Füllkrug’s loan move to AC Milan. Manager Nuno Espírito Santo has been driving the move for Castellanos, seeking to add more “firepower” to a side struggling to score enough goals. The Hammers spent New Year’s Day in intense talks with Lazio and moved quickly once terms were agreeable. In the end, West Ham United beat out interest from at least one rival – reports suggest Leeds United also tried to hijack the deal – to secure Castellanos’ signature.

Club insiders see Castellanos as a player capable of sparking a turnaround in their season. The 27-year-old is arriving to effectively replace Füllkrug as West Ham’s new center-forward option. His profile appealed greatly to West Ham’s recruitment team: this is a hard-working forward entering his prime, with experience in top-flight football and a track record of adapting to different leagues. Some analysts even believe Castellanos could be a potential “season-saver” for the Hammers if he settles quickly. The sizeable investment of ~€30m underlines the club’s confidence that his attributes will help West Ham claw their way out of trouble in the second half of the campaign.

Castellanos’ Expected Role at West Ham

West Ham fans can expect Taty Castellanos to bring much more than just goals. He is often described as an atypical striker who excels in link-up play and pressing. In fact, Italian observers note that his value lies not in prolific scoring but in how well he integrates into the team’s play, creating space and opportunities for teammates. “He doesn’t score many but helps his teammates a lot, with and without the ball,” one Italian analyst explained of Castellanos’ time in Serie A. Indeed, the Argentine provided as many assists as goals for Lazio, demonstrating his creative contribution in the final third.

Nuno Espírito Santo is likely to deploy Castellanos as a versatile forward who can drop deep or drift wide to link with midfield – effectively a deep-lying forward. At Lazio this season, Castellanos often operated as a second striker (shadow striker), whereas in the previous campaign he played a more advanced No.9 role and hit double figures in goals. West Ham’s coaching staff believe his intelligent movement will provide the kind of fluidity and work rate up front that the team has lacked. According to Corriere dello Sport, the club views Castellanos as the man to provide the “movement up front” that Nuno specifically seeks in his attack. In style, he has even been likened to former Hammers star Marko Arnautović – an all-round forward who can score, assist, and press relentlessly from the front. If he lives up to that comparison, Castellanos could fit perfectly into West Ham’s system, which historically favored hardworking, multifaceted strikers (such as Arnautović or Michail Antonio) over pure poachers.

It’s worth noting that despite only netting two goals in Serie A so far this season, Castellanos has been performing at a high level statistically. Data analytics from SciSports actually ranked him among the best-performing center-forwards in Serie A this term, on par with top names like Lautaro Martínez, thanks to his overall contribution. In East London, his primary task will be to translate those contributions into goals and assists that win points, but his willingness to track back, press defenders, and link play should quickly endear him to the West Ham faithful and give the team a new dimension in attack.

Career Highlights at Lazio and NYCFC

 Lazio attacking during a Serie A match against Parma in December 2025. Castellanos scored 22 goals in 98 appearances for the Biancocelesti. He was the club’s leading scorer last season with 14 goals across all competitions.

Castellanos joined Lazio in July 2023 and, over a season and a half in Rome, became an important part of Maurizio Sarri’s squad. In the 2024–25 campaign, he was Lazio’s top scorer with 14 goals in all competitions, filling the void after star striker Ciro Immobile’s departure. He also chipped in with several assists, showcasing his playmaking side. However, the first half of the current season was challenging – injuries and tactical changes saw his output dip to just 2 goals and 3 assists in 12 Serie A appearances. In total, Castellanos departs Lazio with 22 goals in 98 games for the club. Though his goal tally wasn’t eye-popping, Lazio fans witnessed his high work rate and teamwork. (Sarri even admitted at one point that the Argentine “might not be the most suitable striker” to lead Lazio’s line in certain systems.) Ultimately, Lazio saw the €30m offer as good business for a player they signed for half that price, especially given the club’s need to fund other reinforcements in January.

Prior to his Italian adventure, Taty Castellanos made his name in Major League Soccer with New York City FC. In 2021, he enjoyed a breakout year – the Argentine won the MLS Golden Boot after scoring 19 goals in the regular season (adding 8 assists). He led NYCFC’s attack to great success that year, as the club went on to win the 2021 MLS Cup, the first league title in NYCFC’s history. Castellanos was a key figure in that championship run, scoring in crucial playoff games and earning the MLS Cup MVP honors (he scored in all three of NYCFC’s playoff matches). By the time he left MLS, Castellanos had amassed nearly 60 goals for New York City FC and had established himself as one of the league’s top young forwards. His performances in MLS earned him a loan move to Girona in Spain for the 2022–23 season, where he continued to impress – notably scoring four goals in a single La Liga match against Real Madrid. This unique feat put him on the radar of European clubs and paved the way for Lazio to sign him. Now, with experiences in Argentina, Uruguay, the USA, Spain, and Italy under his belt, Castellanos brings a diverse skill set and big-game pedigree to West Ham.

Official Statements and Reactions

While West Ham have yet to publish the full unveiling interview at the time of writing, all signs point to excitement on all sides about this transfer. Sky Sport Italia noted that Castellanos bade an emotional farewell to his Lazio teammates before departing, emptying his locker and preparing to start a new chapter in London. Over in England, West Ham’s management and fans are understandably eager for his arrival. Nuno Espírito Santo has effectively staked part of the club’s survival hopes on this signing, having pushed hard to get Castellanos in. We can expect Nuno to praise the Argentine’s work ethic and versatility in official comments, highlighting how Castellanos “gives his all for the team” and can link up with the Hammers’ wingers and midfield.

From the Lazio side, there’s a tone of pragmatism and even relief. Maurizio Sarri’s earlier remarks about Castellanos not exactly fitting his ideal striker mold suggest that Lazio’s coaching staff were willing to let him go for the right price. Lazio are reportedly happy with the deal, pocketing a significant profit which will help their own transfer plans. Some Lazio supporters thanked Castellanos for his efforts but conceded that 22 goals in 98 games was a modest return for a starting striker, making the transfer a sensible move for the club.

On social media, West Ham United fans have greeted the news with a mix of optimism and caution. Many are excited to see a new forward join – especially one with a reputation for hard work and big-game experience – hoping he can lift the team’s performances. A few remember past January striker signings that failed to deliver, but there is genuine hope that Castellanos’ well-rounded game will buck the trend. “Welcome Taty!” messages are already circulating, and Castellanos himself is expected to express enthusiasm about his Premier League opportunity once officially introduced. In all likelihood, he will speak about how excited he is to join “a massive club like West Ham” and his determination to help the Hammers climb the table. Until then, West Ham and Lazio have both confirmed the agreement in principle, and the stage is set for Castellanos to begin his West Ham career and try to make an immediate impact at the London Stadium.