Taty Castellanos has given West Ham hope – & the best chant of 2025-26 | OneFootball

Prolific centre-forwards are to West Ham United what self-awareness is to a cabinet minister – attainable, yet always somehow elusive.

Under the ownership of David Sullivan, West Ham have purchased more than 60 forward players with varying degrees of disaster.

So it’s something of a pleasant surprise that Taty Castellanos has not only fitted in seamlessly, but he’s also inspired the best new chant of the 2026-26 season.

The 27-year-old scored in the FA Cup win over QPR and has helped revive a previously moribund attack, freeing up Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville.

Castellanos opened his Premier League account in the Hammers’ 2-0 win at Burnley with a Teddy Sheringham-esque header from El Hadji Malick Diouf’s wicked cross.

He became the 180th different West Ham player to score a Premier League goal for the club. Only Spurs with 181 have more.

On a dank Lancashire afternoon, where the clouds cloaked the surrounding hills and West Ham were unusually professional, a new chant emanated from the Turf Moor away end.

To the tune of ‘Lip Up Fatty’ by ska band Bad Manners, the striker was serenaded with ‘We’ve got Taty, and we’ve got Taty Castellanos’.

Terrace anthems are flexible things, often latching on to chart music you’d need to waterboard supporters to admit any admiration for.

So it’s heartwarming to hear a ska hit from 1980 repurposed for the Olivia Dean era.

It’s certainly an earworm, one designed to be hummed while doing the washing up or standing in the queue at Lidl. Expect Arsenal fans to steal and loudly claim it as their own by Easter.

After a significant level of churn, the Hammers went into the campaign with just Callum Wilson and Niclas Fullkrug up front. No wonder they’ve been circling the drain.

Despite a shocking defensive record, West Ham’s priority in January was striking reinforcements. Pablo Felipe and Castellanos joined for a combined £47million, to much scepticism from us.

But there’s just something about signing an Argentinian and surviving relegation that’s written in the stars.

We don’t know who made that rule, but it’s tried and tested. The unofficial cheat code of Premier League survival, as Carlos Tevez proved in 2007.

Castellanos could be next. He’s been called the Poundstretcher Aguero on Knees Up Mother Brown, the long-running West Ham forum. You’d proudly stick that on your business card or tombstone.

Slaven Bilic once described West Ham as a ‘cult club’ and Castellanos has all the makings of a cult hero, hard-working, committed and a dash of quality to make the pursits swoon.

“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,” he said at his unveiling.

West Ham still have work to do to survive relegation, but three wins in their last four league matches have dragged Nottingham Forest and Tottenham into the struggle.

Even Leeds, in good form themselves, are running fast to stand still. They’ve got some tough matches to come and travel to East London in May on the final day. It’s still all to play for.

Perhaps Castellanos isn’t that familiar with the works of Buster Bloodvessel, but the rest of English football is about to become very acquainted with this ska anthem.