Pablo concerns emerge already after West Ham striker deals agreed
West Ham are moving fast and spending money to reinforce their attack in 2026 but not without worries attached.
With Niclas Fullkrug loaned to AC Milan and for all intents and purposes done as a Hammers player there is only Callum Wilson available to Nuno Espirito Santo in terms of senior striker options.
Rather than persist with using Jarrod Bowen or Crysencio Summerville out of position as the lead attacker the Irons have made striker a priority for the January transfer window and appear to be about to boost the manager’s options significantly with two deals agreed already.
West Ham balked at Wolves’ £40million asking price for Jorgen Strand Larsen, but both Pablo from Gil Vicente and Lazio’s Taty Castellanos have been lined up to come in at the London Stadium imminently for a greater combined cost, although there are concerns.
| Player | Club | Fee | League goals this year |
| Pablo | Gil Vicente | £18.3m + £2.6m add-ons | 10 |
| Taty Castellanos | Lazio | £26.1m | 2 |
Pablo and Taty Catellanos in-bound at West Ham
According to the latest update from The Guardian the pair are set to arrive for a combined fee of up to £47m, with Fulham’s Adama Traore on the agenda next.
Pablo has scored 10 Portuguese Primera Liga goals this term to help his side to fourth in the division, despite going winless in their last six outings.
He netted in the 2-2 draw with Arouca on Sunday and is reportedly seen at West Ham as having “vast potential”.
The 21-year-old Brazilian is represented by Portuguese super-agent Jorge Mendes, who also represents Nuno, and is expected to gain Portuguese citizenship soon.
However, it has emerged that there are “concerns” over whether he will be able to translate his form in Portugal over to the Premier League.
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Weight off West Ham history on Pablo and Taty Castellanos
Clearly West Ham need help in the goalscoring department or they are probably going to get relegated, so reinforcements are positive.
And it is surely a welcome surprise to many Irons fans that action has been taken early rather than the usual pattern of firing off multiple bids short of asking prices while the days count down without success.
But in both cases they have the hallmarks of signings which could go one way or another, and doubts around Castellanos thriving at West Ham have also been articulated already.
| West Ham strikers | Games | Goals |
| Gianluca Scamacca | 27 | 8 |
| Danny Ings | 69 | 5 |
| Niclas Fullkrug | 29 | 3 |
That is obviously true of any new recruit, and to an extent a club in West Ham’s current condition have to take what they can get, but if concerns over Pablo’s ability to adapt are already being reported before he’s through the door it won’t reassure supporters a great deal.
Even in the past couple of seasons the Hammers have swung and missed with the likes of Gianluca Scamacca, Danny Ings and Fullkrug, so with little time to spare in getting the side back on track there is going to be major pressure on the next two in to break a trend that has persisted for years.
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