Official! Nuno Espírito Santo secures £28m signing once eyed by Benfica | OneFootball

West Ham, the team managed by Nuno Espírito Santo, announced this Monday, December 5th, the signing of forward Taty Castellanos from Lazio for 28 million euros. The 27-year-old Argentine international, who had previously been on Benfica’s radar, signed a contract valid for four and a half years, with an option to extend for one more year.

“I’m really happy because this is a very important challenge for me personally and I hope I can help the team in every way I can. Every game will be a battle, I’ll try to contribute to that, I’ll try to bring energy and contribute with my fighting spirit,” he said in statements to the London club’s platforms.

The player first made a name for himself in the North American league (MLS), playing for New York City in 2021, where he won the MLS Cup. Afterwards, in Spain, playing for Girona, he also stood out, particularly in a match where he scored four goals against Real Madrid in the same game. In Italy, he scored 14 goals last season for Lazio, and also reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

West Ham have not won in the league for nine games, with four draws and five losses, leaving the club in 18th place, with only 14 points, four behind their next opponent, who are 17th. The negative streak included a 3-0 defeat last weekend away to Wolverhampton, who are currently bottom of the table.

The striker was on Benfica’s radar in the summer of 2023. At the time, the forward was seen as one of the possible options to fill the gap left by Gonçalo Ramos’s move to PSG. Now, Taty Castellanos, who will wear the number 11 shirt, was registered in time to be able to play next Tuesday night, when the Hammers host Nottingham Forest.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.