Joe Ellis

Wed 20 July 2022 16:10, UK

West Ham United’s search for a new striker is still ongoing but one name can be scratched off their list of options in Valentin Castellanos.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Argentinian is set to play his final game for New York City before jetting out to Spain to complete a move to Girona in La Liga to stay a part of the City Group.

‘Taty’, as he is known, was a target for David Moyes and the Irons as 90min reported on 3 June that West Ham were among four clubs chasing his signature.

But his impending move to La Liga has quashed any chance of an arrival at the London Stadium and former Hammer Jack Collison, now a coach at Atlanta United in the MLS, thinks a mistake has been made.

“Think he would have been a great fit for West Ham, phenomenal player,” Collison said via his personal Twitter account having seen a lot of Castellanos in America over the past two seasons.

Regret

West Ham have to now hope that they won’t come to regret not making a more significant move for the 23-year-old who won the MLS golden boot in 2021 as New York City went on to win the league.

Michail Antonio has been forced to do all the heavy lifting up top at the London Stadium ever since Sebastien Haller left to join Ajax and he has now got himself another move, this time to Borussia Dortmund, before the Irons have managed to replace him.

Being part of the City Group at Girona, there is every chance that a sensational season in La Liga could lead to Manchester City poaching him for a minimal fee as the big club in the agreement and he could really punish Moyes then.

If he finds his goal-scoring boots like he has in the United States, then he is going to be a menace to defenders across Europe very soon and it is a baffling decision on West Ham’s behalf not to make an attempt to sign him.