Key Points
- West Ham United are reportedly open to selling Argentine forward Valentín ‘Taty’ Castellanos when the January transfer window opens.
- Director of Player Recruitment Nils Koppen has already begun making enquiries to agents and clubs, and has approached a prospective new centre-forward to strengthen manager Scott Parker’s squad.
- Argentine club River Plate have been credited with interest in Castellanos, with two potential transfer structures reported: a loan deal with an obligation or option to buy, or a permanent purchase involving a percentage of the player’s rights.
- River Plate goalkeeper Santiago Beltrán has also been linked with West Ham United, raising the possibility of a swap arrangement involving Castellanos.
- West Ham United signed Castellanos from Lazio on 5 January 2026 on a four-and-a-half-year contract, with reported transfer valuations ranging between £25 million and £27 million.
- Castellanos has struggled for goals and regular 90-minute appearances in the 2026–27 EFL Championship campaign following West Ham’s relegation from the Premier League and subsequent managerial change from Nuno Espírito Santo to Scott Parker.
West Ham United (East London Times) November 12, 2026 – West Ham United are reportedly prepared to sanction the departure of Argentine striker Taty Castellanos during the upcoming January transfer window, as Director of Player Recruitment Nils Koppen accelerates efforts to secure a replacement for manager Scott Parker.
Why are West Ham United considering selling Taty Castellanos in January?
The east London club have begun actively exploring attacking reinforcements ahead of the winter market and would consider suitable offers for the 28-year-old forward, less than a year after his arrival at the London Stadium.
As reported by West Ham World, the Hammers are open to selling Castellanos in January while Nils Koppen steps up the search for a new striker. The outlet noted that the Argentine international’s future has rapidly become a primary talking point ahead of the winter window, particularly after Argentine giants River Plate were linked with a move for the forward earlier in the week.
Further details regarding the club’s recruitment drive were outlined by Claret & Hugh. Speaking to Claret & Hugh, a club source confirmed that the search for a new centre-forward is already underway, noting that Director of Player Recruitment Nils Koppen has begun making enquiries to agents and clubs in preparation for strengthening Scott Parker’s squad. While the source did not disclose the exact transfer fee West Ham would demand for Castellanos or name the specific striker Koppen has approached, Claret & Hugh reported that the club are prepared to consider a significant alteration to their attacking options in January.
What has been reported about River Plate’s interest and potential transfer scenarios?
River Plate have emerged as the primary club credited with interest in bringing Castellanos back to Argentina, though financial constraints following West Ham’s relegation complicate a straightforward permanent transfer.
As reported by Assistant Editor Mark Smith of West Ham Zone, Castellanos could depart the London Stadium in January under two distinct transfer scenarios proposed by River Plate. Smith noted that the Buenos Aires club are exploring either a loan agreement containing a future obligation or option fee, or an outright purchase that would leave a percentage of the player’s economic rights available.
However, Mark Smith of West Ham Zone highlighted a significant financial hurdle to any agreement, pointing out that having spent a reported £25 million to acquire Castellanos from Lazio earlier in the year, West Ham face a situation where River Plate are unlikely to match that valuation. Smith observed that financial losses incurred following relegation from the Premier League have impacted the club heavily, leaving West Ham unable to absorb substantial market losses unless circumstances change dramatically.
Meanwhile, as reported by Robert Wheeler of Green Street Hammers, West Ham’s parallel interest in River Plate goalkeeper Santiago Beltrán has introduced another possible mechanism for a deal. Wheeler reported that Beltrán could potentially be included as part of a swap deal involving Castellanos as West Ham seek to address ongoing issues in their goalkeeping department under Scott Parker.
How has Taty Castellanos performed for West Ham United this season?
Castellanos has endured a difficult spell in front of goal during the 2026–27 EFL Championship season, frequently rotating out of the starting line-up under both former manager Nuno Espírito Santo and current head coach Scott Parker.
According to match and statistical records for the 2026–27 campaign, Castellanos has found regular starts and goals hard to come by in the second tier. As noted by Assistant Editor Mark Smith of West Ham Zone, the forward had scored only once in league play—a goal and an assist in a 6–0 home victory over Wrexham on 11 September 2026—while finding himself regularly placed on the substitutes’ bench as managers alternated between Joël Piroe and Pablo. Smith further pointed out that Castellanos had completed 90 minutes on only two occasions since the beginning of October.
In recent EFL Championship fixtures, Castellanos has largely featured in limited or rotated roles:
- 7 November 2026 (away vs Blackburn Rovers): Came on as a 64th-minute substitute for Mohamadou Kanté in a 2–1 defeat, playing 26 minutes, registering two shots off target, and providing the assist for Joël Piroe’s 82nd-minute goal.
- 5 November 2026 (away vs Cardiff City): Started and played 45 minutes before being substituted at half-time, recording two shots on target.
- 31 October 2026 (home vs West Bromwich Albion): Featured as a substitute for 20 minutes, recording three shots, including two on target.
- 24 October 2026 (home vs Southampton): Completed 90 minutes, registering two shots on target and one assist.
Across cup competitions earlier in the 2026–27 season, Castellanos scored twice in a 3–0 home Carabao Cup first-round victory over Portsmouth on 8 August 2026 and added another goal in a 4–1 second-round win at Southampton on 25 August 2026, before his league output stalled during the autumn months.
Background
Valentín Mariano José Castellanos Giménez, born in Mendoza, Argentina, on 3 October 1998, joined West Ham United from Italian Serie A side Lazio on 5 January 2026 on a four-and-a-half-year contract. Prior to his move to east London, Castellanos established his reputation in Major League Soccer with New York City FC—winning the MLS Cup and the MLS Golden Boot in 2021—before enjoying a prolific loan spell at Spanish club Girona in 2022–23, where he scored 14 La Liga goals, including all four in a 4–2 victory over Real Madrid in April 2023. He subsequently scored 14 goals across all competitions for Lazio during the 2024–25 campaign and earned senior international caps for Argentina in late 2024.
Castellanos made an immediate impact upon arriving at West Ham in January 2026, scoring an extra-time winner on his FA Cup debut against Queens Park Rangers on 11 January 2026 and finishing the second half of the 2025–26 season with seven goals in 22 appearances across all competitions, including four Premier League goals against Burnley, Liverpool, and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Despite his individual contributions, West Ham suffered relegation from the Premier League at the conclusion of the 2025–26 season.
Following relegation, internal reports from Claret & Hugh indicated that Castellanos, alongside fellow forwards Joël Piroe and Pablo, had been recruited primarily at the request of former manager Nuno Espírito Santo. After Nuno was dismissed following a disappointing start to the 2026–27 Championship campaign, Scott Parker was appointed head coach, while Director of Player Recruitment Nils Koppen assumed greater control over squad restructuring ahead of the 2027 winter transfer window.
Prediction
How this development could affect West Ham United supporters, Scott Parker’s squad, and potential suitors:
For West Ham United supporters, the club’s willingness to listen to offers for a marquee signing after just twelve months signals an acknowledgement from the hierarchy that the current attacking unit requires restructuring to sustain a credible EFL Championship promotion push. Fans can expect significant turnover in January, with recruitment focus shifting towards forwards better suited to the physical demands of second-tier English football, alongside reported priorities in goal and central defence.
For head coach Scott Parker and the first-team squad, an early approach for a new centre-forward creates immediate competition during the November international break. With Joël Piroe away on international duty with Suriname, Castellanos and fellow forward Pablo face a crucial window in training to demonstrate their value to Parker; failure to secure regular minutes before January will likely accelerate an exit.
For prospective buying clubs such as River Plate, West Ham’s openness to a sale provides an opportunity to negotiate creative deal structures. Because South American clubs rarely match eight-figure Premier League or Championship transfer fees outright, negotiations are likely to hinge on whether West Ham accept a loan-to-buy arrangement, a shared economic rights model, or a player-plus-cash exchange involving targets such as goalkeeper Santiago Beltrán in order to balance their post-relegation finances.
