Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe have brought a lot to West Ham United since they arrived in the Premier League from Lazio and Gil Vicente respectively.
What the two January signings are yet to prove, however, is whether they are capable of scoring goals at a reliable enough rate.
Nuno Espirito Santo feels ‘lucky’ to have Castellanos at his disposal. Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Bournemouth, though, highlighted the pros and the cons of West Ham United’s number eleven. Plenty of endeavour, some heartwarming high-pressing, one audacious overhead kick, but relatively little goal threat.
What to do with Wilson? ⚒️
Start him? Or keep him as an impact sub?
Callum Wilson of West Ham United reacts after a missed chance during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Bournemouth at London Stadium on February 21, 2026 in London, England.
And while West Ham have missed Pablo following his calf injury, the former Primeira Liga poacher is yet to open his account in English football. A growing throng of Hammers News readers believe Nuno should recall Callum Wilson to the XI next time out against Liverpool, then.
He may be 33, but Wilson remains West Ham’s best finisher, even if he lacks Pablo’s versatility or Castellanos’ mobility.
With Wilson’s contract up in the summer, then, could Zan Vipotnik come back into the frame?
Zan Vipotnik can’t stop scoring for Swansea City after West Ham United recommendation
Hammers News were informed ahead of the January window, and the £44 million investment in Castellanos and Pablo, that Swansea talisman Vipotnik had been recommended by head of technical analysis and recruitment Max Hahn.
MORE WEST HAM STORIES
As he took his tally to 16 goals in 24 Championship starts – Swansea beat George Earthy’s Bristol City 1-0 this weekend – former Werder Bremen scout Hahn will undoubtedly have added a few more notes to his Vipotnik-themed dossier.
Zan Vipotnik scores for Swansea City against Norwich City
Photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images
Vipotnik, a Slovakia international who moved to South Wales from Bordeaux in 2024, has scored those 16 goals from an XG of just seven. This means he is scoring at twice the rate he should realistically be expected to, given the quality of chances that have come his way.
Vitor Matos says Championship Golden Boot leader is a ‘special’ finisher
By his standards, that Bristol City winner was fairly straightforward. A drilled volley into the ground and into the net.
Vipotnik’s remarkable overperformance of his XG owes much to a handful of far more difficult finishes. See his sublime volley in the first minute against West Brom. Or a thumping drive against Norwich, to highlight two of his finest finishes of 2025/26.
“It’s a nice feeling to be top scorer,” says the 23-year-old, currently at the top of the Championship’s Golden Boot charts ahead of another striker the Hammers like; Coventry’s Haji Wright.
“I’ve still got a long way to go and things can change very fast in this league.”
Haji hat-trick puts Lampard’s Coventry top! 🇺🇸 🎩
How much would YOU pay to bring him to West Ham?
Haji Wright of Coventry City celebrates the goal during the Sky Bet Championship match between Coventry City and Middlesbrough at the Coventry Building Society Arena in Coventry, on February 16, 2026.
“He’s special,” Swansea coach Vitor Matos said after Vipotnik wellied a blink-and-you’d-miss-it free-kick into the Sheffield Wednesday net earlier this month. “He finds ways to score.
“He has that kind of talent in terms of finishing. He shoots with either left or right but really powerful and precise as well. He trains a lot, finishing sessions outside of the box, he does that really well.”
The number of goals is one thing. The variety of finishes, though, is what really marks Vipotnik out as arguably the most exciting forward in the EFL right now. While nine of his goals have come with his favoured right boot, Vipotnik also has three headers and three left-footed strikes among his growing tally.
What West Ham’s frontline will lack, post-Wilson, is a genuine XG monster.
A void they could fill with a striker the aforementioned Max Hahn will surely be keen to bring to the table once again come the summer, regardless of which division the Hammers find themselves in.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox