Credit: Imago

Richie Mills

Wed 8 April 2026 20:10, UK

West Ham United spent big in January on Taty Castellanos and Pablo but so far those gambles haven’t really paid off.

Before the January transfer window opened, the Hammers’ fortunes were looking bleak as they sank deeper into the bottom three.

Prior to their win over Tottenham on 17 January, West Ham had gone 10 games without a Premier League victory as they languished in the relegation zone.

To try and get out of the mess they were in, West Ham spent £26million on Castellanos from Lazio and £17.4m to recruit Pablo from Gil Vicente.

Between the pair of them, they have two goals this season. So, will West Ham’s gamble pay off on the pitch or come back to haunt them?

West Ham running out of time to turn things around

In 2026, West Ham have four won league games, and drawn three, taking them to within one point of 17th-placed Tottenham.

The Hammers may yet get out of this bind, but too many wrong decisions have been made for far too long – hence the protests from the fans against the board.

And while Pablo and Castellanos have added plenty of huff and puff, they haven’t provided much end product.

The former has no goals from seven appearances, five of which have been starts, and the latter has two goals from 11 league outings, but has added much-needed tenacity.

The two forwards weren’t cheap, either. Both missed big chances in their FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Leeds United on Sunday, as doubts grow over their credentials among fans.

Pablo has missed one big chance for West Ham in the Premier League so far, and Castellanos has spurned four of his own.

West Ham have already stated that they will need to sell players this summer, even if they avoid relegation to the Championship.

This came when they announced a £104.2m loss in their latest accounts, and bearing that in mind, the Pablo and Castellanos signings aren’t looking so smart right now.

They may keep them up, but these are big transfer fees they have added to their troubled balance sheet, as they fail to learn from their past missteps.

Can West Ham return to winning ways?

Before the March international break, West Ham suffered a disappointing defeat at Aston Villa, as Unai Emery’s men eased to a comfortable victory.

The Hammers have a chance to climb out of the relegation zone on Friday when they host bottom-of-the-table Wolves at London Stadium.

The big question on many West Ham fans’ lips is whether or not winger Crysencio Summerville will be back fit from a calf injury, with the early signs looking good.

The East London team didn’t risk the 24-year-old against Leeds, and West Ham Zone has predicted Summerville won’t start against Wolves, but could come off the bench early.

Wolves are a different prospect these days, with Rob Edwards turning the Midlands team into a much tougher opponent.

But this is a must-win game for West Ham, and if they can’t see off Wolves, their chances of beating the drop look slim.