Credit: Imago

Scott Mason

Fri 10 April 2026 15:10, UK

West Ham United have been linked with Santiago Castro, and Hammers officials would have been able to get a glimpse of him against Premier League opposition.

As Bologna faced Aston Villa, the Argentine led the front line for the Italian outfit in what ultimately ended up as a 3-1 defeat.

The Irons are likely to be in the market for a centre-forward come the summer window, and among those names has been Castro.

Although there was speculation over Callum Wilson signing a new deal, noise surrounding that has been quiet.

As West Ham’s transfer preparations begin, and they shortlist attacking options, they may be wise to steer away from the Serie A forward.

Santiago Castro fails to cover himself in glory vs Aston Villa

Aston Villa were perhaps lucky to get away with a 3-1 win in Bologna as the home side dominated the ball and had more chances.

However, the Serie A side’s failings may have come down to the quality across their squad, with Castro the highlight of their struggle.

When Castro was first linked with West Ham, it made sense. However, after seeing him in action against Villa, the Hammers may be wise to shelve their interest.

In Thursday night’s match, the 21-year-old took four shots at goal, but each one of those was blocked by a Villa defender.

Additionally, he strayed offside on four occasions while only attempting eight passes with a 62 per cent accuracy.

Although this was just one performance, Castro previously failed to impress against Aston Villa earlier in the season.

In the Europa League league phase, the young Argentine once again failed to produce a shot on target. It seems a pattern may be emerging.

Overall, it was far from his best performance, and it might have showcased that he is not what Nuno Espirito Santo’s side currently needs up front.

West Ham can’t afford to make another centre-forward mistake

Much has been made of West Ham’s failures to sign successful centre-forwards, and winter arrivals Pablo and Taty Castellanos have shown glimpses of promise but nothing that provides much hope.

While Castro may be young and have an abundance of potential, the Irons simply cannot afford to splash the cash on the future anymore.

West Ham need ready-made stars and players that can impact the team from the very get-go. At the moment Castro is still incredibly raw.

Perhaps, in a few years, we could look back and see that the East London club missed out on one of the best strikers in world football.

However, with the current state of West Ham’s Premier League status, if they stay in the top flight, it must not be them who takes the risk on the Bologna forward.