As they aim to return to the Premier League on their first try, West Ham has enjoyed a strong start to the season.

Nuno Espírito Santo’s club hasn’t had an easy time, and their most recent 3-2 loss to Southampton was more evidence that there are some good teams at this level who will try to compete with the Hammers for a top two spot.

However, the Irons will feel that their team is exceptional by Championship standards, and they have some of the top players in the second division in players like Jarrod Bowen, Arne Engels, and Konstantinos Mavropanos.

Taty Castellanos is one player who hasn’t performed up to par this season, though.

With West Ham, Taty Castellanos has had a challenging start to the season.

After joining from Lazio in January, the striker scored six goals in 18 games, making him one of the few players to come out on top of the sad relegation of the Hammers.

In addition to having a respectable goal return, Castellanos’ diligence was crucial to the team’s ability to put pressure on the opposition, and his efforts won him over supporters.

Castellanos was anticipated to leave the London Stadium after relegation, but once he stayed, there was a sense that he may become a major factor this season.

However, the former Girona player has only managed one goal after 11 games, and he doesn’t appear to be the same player who was at ease in the Premier League.

Castellanos is far from playing like one of the top strikers in the division, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t contributed—he has three assists.

West Ham might come to regret turning down Everton’s £45 million transfer offer for Taty Castellanos.

West Ham might regret turning down a £45 million offer for Castellanos given his recent performance.

Near the close of the transfer window, when the Toffees were frantically looking for a new attacker, it was reported that Everton made an initial bid of £40 million for the Argentinian, plus an additional £5 million in bonuses.

Given how close the bid was to the deadline, it is understandable why West Ham turned it down. They would have had a very difficult time finding a substitute.

A deal of up to £45 million for Castellanos would have been fantastic business for the Hammers, but it might be argued that well-run teams always have backup plans in place and that every player has a price.

Nuno is going to put extra pressure on Taty Castellanos.

The move obviously didn’t happen, and we’re not sure if Castellanos’ lacklustre performances thus far this season are related to that.

In any case, the 28-year-old must have come to terms with the idea that he will remain at West Ham by now, and Nuno will be expecting Castellanos to take on the role of a vital member of the club, just like Bowen does.

It’s not as though the former Wolves manager hasn’t made an effort to discover Castellanos’ peak performance. He has changed attacking partners and left the squad, but thus far, nothing has worked for him.

It should be noted that the season is still very early and that Castellanos may not be performing at his best while adjusting to a new league, but he is capable of much more than he is shown.

Taty Castellanos can still contribute significantly to West Ham’s promotion campaign.

You would think that Nuno would continue to have faith in the striker despite all of that as he will be aware of Castellanos’ exceptional abilities.

His dismal performance this season is not due to a lack of skill because, as previously said, at his peak, he was generating difficulties for Premier League defenders.

In a way, though, West Ham should be pleased that they are at the top of the league even though Castellanos hasn’t joined the party yet.

The Hammers will therefore want Castellanos to return to his best, whether it’s because of a fortunate goal or because he’s just playing his way into form.

Castellanos has had a difficult start, but he still has plenty of time to contribute significantly to West Ham’s return to the Premier League since they know they have a player who can dominate the Championship.