River Plate’s £25m bid forces West Ham to weigh striker’s future

West Ham Face Audacious River Plate Raid for a £25m striker – Striker Should They Sell? Scott Parker inherited a West Ham side that scores freely yet lacks stability, having netted 36 times in 14 Championship games before Nuno Espírito Santo’s November 3 dismissal.

Season start and forward reshuffle

Parker, who won promotions from this division with Fulham, Bournemouth and Burnley, has secured just one point from his first two matches. The Hammers recorded a 3‑3 draw at Cardiff, where Jack Moylan scored a first‑half hat‑trick. This was followed by a 2‑1 defeat at Blackburn, their first away loss of the season.

Goals from Andri Gudjohnsen and Dapo Afolayan left Parker bitterly disappointed despite West Ham’s dominance of possession. Nuno had favoured two strikers, but West Ham deployed a 4‑2‑3‑1 at Cardiff, with Mukasa, Engels and Kilman scoring in a comeback from 3‑0 down. At Ewood Park they switched to a 4‑4‑1‑1, assigning different roles to the forwards.

Joël Piroe, on loan from Leeds after winning the 2024/25 Golden Boot with 19 goals, led the line against Blackburn. The 22‑year‑old Brazilian Pablo, signed in January, has scored one league goal in nine appearances. Captain Jarrod Bowen has contributed seven league goals and Konstantinos Mavropanos five, illustrating West Ham’s spread of scoring.

Castellanos’ profile and River Plate bid

Taty Castellanos, featured in a September 19, 2026 match at The Den, led the line at Cardiff and later set up Piroe’s goal from the bench at Blackburn. The 28‑year‑old has recorded one goal and four assists in 14 league games, underperforming his expected goals by roughly two by late October. His movement and link‑play are praised, while his finishing and physical presence attract criticism.

River Plate manager Leonardo Ponzio has identified Castellanos as his top target for the 2027 window. Castellanos’ contract runs until 2030 and he reportedly earns £75,000 a week, a wage River struggle to match. No offer exists, and Soy del Millo says River would need West Ham’s backing for a loan with a fee or a percentage purchase.

A loan move would involve an unknown fee and likely require West Ham to cover part of his salary, while a percentage‑sale would return only a slice of the £25m they originally paid. Allowing Castellanos to leave in January could weaken a promotion chase that currently relies on a loan striker. Consequently, West Ham must decide whether to retain the striker despite River Plate’s terms.