West Ham United host AFC Bournemouth in what could be a huge game for either side. Whilst the two team’s have different objectives at this stage of the season, both side’s need points quickly to achieve them.
Speaking in the build up to the game, Cherries boss Andoni Iraola has spoken about the quality within the Hammers team. Iraola singled out one player in particular, Valentin Castellanos, who joined the Irons last month from Italian side Lazio.
The Bournemouth boss is no stranger to Castellanos, who faced the forward in La Liga, when he was in charge of Rayo Vallecano, and the Argentinian was on-loan with Girona. Whilst the 27-year-old only played two games against that side, he did score a penalty in one of the those matches, securing a 2-2 draw at the time.
“They have very good players offensively and now we are facing them in probably their best moment of the season. They are coming from really great results, great performances, playing really well and you know the threats they have.”
“Summerville, Bowen, Soucek arriving [in the box], the strikers they’ve signed now in the winter market. I know Taty Castellanos from La Liga very well,” Iraola adds. “He’s a very, very good number nine.
“I think he has given a lot of energy to that team and I think you can feel the difference.”
Valentin Castellanos’s West Ham time so far
Taty Castellanos joined the Hammer’s as part of their attack focused January. The front man joined for a reported £27m from Italian giants, Lazio. In Italy, the 27-year-old scored 22 goals across two-and-a-half years with the club.
There is no doubting that Castellanos has a high ceiling, but he has yet to reach it in Europe. The Argentinian’s highest goal tally on this side of the pond is 14, but the forward is beginning to look at home in England.
Valentin Castellanos’s 2022/23 Girona statistics
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 37 | 14 | 0 |
After netting his first goal for West Ham in the FA Cup against QPR, Castellanos followed it up by scoring his first Premier League goal in the 2-0 win over Burnley. Nuno Espirito Santo will be expecting more from his new first choice striker, and the player looks likely to deliver, sooner rather than later.
Mateus Fernandes also praised
Iraola didn’t stop at just praising Castellanos. The Bournemouth boss also picked out Mateus Fernandes as a player his team should be aware of, pointing out the midfielder’s recent form.
“I think [Fernandes] was very good even at Southampton,”
“He was already playing very well and now he’s probably even assuming more responsibility. He covers a lot of ground, very good on the ball, very young. They paid also a lot of money for him because he’s a player that everyone knows that he’s a very good player.”
