Nuno right to demand more from Taty Castellanos, stats show where West Ham star must improve
Taty Castellanos has been a successful signing for West Ham, but there are still some concerns.
With West Ham still very much in the midst of a relegation battle, Nuno Espirito Santo needs his key players to be at their absolute best.
And Castellanos is already one of those crucial players at the London Stadium, despite the fact that he only arrived in the summer.
The Argentine forward has three goals in 11 appearances in all competitions for the Hammers, but Nuno still wants to see more from him.
What has Nuno said about Taty Castellanos?
Scoring goals was never really the issue for West Ham; it was keeping them out at the other end.
However, it was still vital that the Hammers bolstered their attacking lineup in January, and with the signing of Castellanos, they did just that.
It took him just two games to score his first goal for West Ham, having also scored against Burnley and Liverpool since.
But despite that, Nuno thinks there is still more to come from him, as referenced via The Athletic.
He said: “We are delighted not only with Taty, but the players that have joined have really brought energy to the team.
“Taty’s doing well, and I hope he continues. I think he’s settled really quickly into the Premier League and we expect much more from him.”
And while the majority of that will be focused on goals, there is one other key area of his game that Castellanos must improve.
Castellanos weakness exposed by Premier League metric
Castellanos’ two goals have arrived from an xG of 2.55, showcasing that he is slightly underperforming in that area. But perhaps not quite enough for it to be a major concern.
However, his duel win rate is the biggest concern in his game, with just 3.02 duels per 90 being won by the Argentine.
He has a 31.3 per cent duel win rate in the Premier League this season, which places him among the bottom 22 per cent of players for that metric.
West Ham often find themselves with their backs to the wall, and his inability to hold the ball up has proven detrimental on several occasions.
That is the area of his game that needs to improve significantly between now and the end of the campaign.
For more in-depth analysis on the Hammers, visit Football Insider.