He may have Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville but bullish Nuno Espirito Santo says Taty Castellanos can be the man to save West Ham’s Premier League lives.
At the start of January West Ham seemed all but certain to be relegated after throwing away a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 to Nottingham Forest.
The defeat left the Hammers cut adrift in the bottom three and was the culmination of a 10-game winless run.
But fast forward to now and West Ham have won five of their last seven games – a run which should and could have been seven wins from seven had leads not been thrown away against Chelsea and Man United.
The turnaround has seen the Irons drag Nottingham Forest and a number of other clubs – including Spurs – fully into the relegation mix.
Rejuvenated West Ham can be out of drop zone this weekend
Heading into the final 12 games, West Ham know they could be out of the bottom three by Sunday evening.
Victory at home against Bournemouth on Saturday would put the Hammers level on points with Nottingham Forest.
Describe Taty Castellanos in ONE word! 🇦🇷
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West Ham United's Taty Castellanos celebrates scoring his side's second goal with Crysencio Summerville during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between West Ham United and Queens Park Rangers on January 11, 2026 in London, England.
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The Tricky Trees then face Liverpool on Sunday and providing there is a four-goal swing between the two games – ie West Ham win 2-0 and Forest lose 2-0 for example – then Nuno Espirito Santo’s side will rise up to the safety of 17th with 11 games to go.
There have been several factors that have been key to the recent turnaround.
The arrival of no-nonsense assistant coach Paco Jemez has been fundamental in fixing a host of issues as players, Nuno and the Spaniard himself have attested.
Key West Ham stars Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville
Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images
The form of the unplayable Crysencio Summerville and captain Jarrod Bowen has made the Hammers a major threat.
Meanwhile Mateus Fernandes has visibly grown in stature with every single game while Axel Disasi has been just what was needed at the back.
When asked about players who are making the biggest impact on West Ham’s bid for survival, though, the head coach singled out his big January signing.
Nuno has explained why Taty Castellanos can be West Ham’s Premier League saviour – and it will fill fans with hope.
Few Hammers supporters would have heard or known too much about Valentin ‘Taty’ Castellanos before he joined from Lazio in a £27m deal at the start of the January window.
Nuno explains why Taty can be West Ham’s saviour
The Argentine only has two goals to his name so far and has rarely looked a significant goal threat since switching Serie A for the Premier League.
So it says a lot about Taty’s impact that he already has his own chant to the tune of Bad Manners’ Lip Up Fatty.
No Potts, no Pablo – but Todibo is back!
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West Ham v Bournemouth potential XI
West Ham fans don’t dish out hero worship or terrace ditties for any old players, it has to be earned.
Castellanos has earned his through sheer relentless hard work thus far.
Nuno and Taty Castellanos after West Ham United v Sunderland - Premier League
Photo by Kevin Hodgson/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
When he arrived in east London he said he wanted to emulate his compatriot Carlos Tevez by keeping West Ham up.
Tevez’s insatiable workrate and pressing on the pitch eventually opened the door to a glut of goals during the run-in of that famous great escape as he kept West Ham up.
And Nuno feels he can be the key to this Hammers side staying in the top flight come what May.
The Portuguese also revealed the 27-year-old was specifically targeted for his workrate and link play.
Nuno: West Ham are lucky to have Taty
“We’ve been lucky to have him,” Nuno said about Taty in his pre-Bournemouth press conference.
“Since he joined us I think he’s brought a lot of good things to the team – his energy, hard work, goals and the way he plays football.
“We decided to bring him in because we believe in him. We believe in him, and so he started the next day (against Nottingham Forest the day after he signed).
“If it was the same day it would have been the same situation because there was a clear need for a player in that position.”
West Ham fans will be hoping they are given plenty of reasons to keep belting out Lip Up Fatty – just like ‘One Carlos Tevez’ reverberated around east London for the final months of that unforgettable 2007 campaign.
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