Stuck in the relegation zone, seven points away from safety, West Ham United desperately need new forwards Valentín ‘Taty’ Castellanos (£5.5m) and Pablo Felipe (£5.5m) to succeed.

They arrived in the first five days of January, costing a combined £46 million, suggesting that the Hammers’ board will keep backing Nuno Espirito Santo, despite being winless in 10 and having the league’s leakiest defence.

So can these forwards settle quickly, and what impact will they have in Fantasy Premier League (FPL)?

We’ll attempt to answer those questions below.

WHO IS TATY?

Born in Argentina, for whom he has two international caps, Castellanos’ early clubs were based in Chile and Uruguay.

He then moved to America as a late teen, winning both an MLS Eastern Conference and MLS Cup title with New York City FC. In 2021, he won the Golden Boot.

A new challenge then took him to Europe, specifically Girona. Undoubtedly, the highlight of this loan spell was scoring four times in a match against Real Madrid, which helped impress Lazio scouts ahead of a summer 2023 transfer.

Throughout 2024/25, Taty netted 14 times across Serie A and Europa League matches, though this latest half-season has been restricted by a month-long hamstring problem.

As for playing style, the 27-year-old is a deep-lying forward, capable of both linking play and scoring goals. He has enough energy to relentlessly hunt the ball, yet also won 53.1% of last season’s aerial duels.

In context, Erling Haaland (£15.1m) and Brian Brobbey (£5.5m) are this term’s only regularly-playing forwards to exceed such a proportion (see below). He’s not even six feet tall!

So, think of him as being similar to Nick Woltemade (£7.3m) (ie not a goal-hanger), just without the height.

WHO IS PABLO?

Naturally, there’s less to say about 22-year-old Pablo.

Brazilian but born in Braga, he developed at Famalicao and Pacos Ferreira, before grabbing attention last April when on loan at Gil Vicente. The striker scored a 10-minute hat-trick away at Boavista.

Soon established as a leading forward, Pablo’s rapid 2025/26 progression has brought 10 goals over a few months, placing his team fourth heading into the winter break.

Furthermore, starting at just €5.5m in Fantasy Liga Portugal – a game we cover – he was its fifth-best forward by the end of Gameweek 16, accumulating 71 points.

More of a poacher inside the box than Taty, Pablo boasts a physical presence that can effectively hold up the ball, whilst also being up for an occasional take-on. This could prove handy for West Ham’s direct, counter-attacking style.

However, FBref says he’s Liga Portugal’s biggest expected goals (xG) overachiever (+4.30), having netted 10 times from a mere 20 shots and 11 on target.

HOW DO THEY FIT IN AT WEST HAM?

Above: Player overviews from WhoScored

Nuno has been switching systems during his few months in East London. He mostly uses a four-man defence, but is open to a wing-back formation, like in the FA Cup clash versus Queens Park Rangers.

Castellanos seems to currently have the centre-forward shirt, playing all 90 minutes of Gameweek 21 and most of Sunday’s two hours. Two of three shots against Nottingham Forest were Opta-defined big chances, then his bullet header defeated QPR in extra time.

Meanwhile, Pablo’s league cameo meant they played together for a period. And perhaps that’s the plan for these crucial months – especially if Lucas Paqueta (£5.9m) leaves the club. Taty in the 10, Pablo in the 9 is one possibility.

Do their arrivals boost or weaken Jarrod Bowen (£7.7m) as an FPL asset? Well, it’s not like three goals from the latest 15 matches allow much room for doing worse.

The forward has mostly been used on the right flank, which isn’t ideal, but sits third overall for attempts (53), shots inside the box (41). He’s just lacking big chances (six) and shot quality (0.09 xG per shot). Improve the quality around him, and maybe he’ll produce more.

COULD THEY TAKE OVER PENALTIES?

With Paqueta supposedly wantaway, penalty-taking duties could soon pass over to a teammate.

Bowen took one in 2024/25 and is a contender but the Hammers’ two new forwards do have some experience from 12 yards.

Taty, indeed, has the best record of the lot:

ARE EITHER WORTH BUYING IN FPL?

Not right now.

After all, this is a club famous for its history of poor striker signings. These two also come with mixed reputations, with plenty to prove.

Yes, West Ham’s next six outings rank fourth on our Fixture Ticker – but they’ve recently gifted Wolverhampton Wanderers their first win of the season, also losing at home to Forest and Fulham.

Many FPL managers are completely avoiding the Hammers, and it’s easy to see why.

Taty is the one to monitor over the next few weeks, as he seems to have the game-time advantage. In a landscape where so few forwards have appeal, there’s potential in downgrading someone to this cheap price point, as it raises money for other positions.

With Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m) rising in price, there are few sub-£6.0m forwards boasting guaranteed starts.

For the time being, the likes of Mateus Mane (£4.5m) and Eli Kroupi (£4.6m) are the go-to forwards for FPL bosses stripping money from their frontline and moving to a 4-4-2/3-5-2. They also save owners around a million compared to Taty.

But should pricier forwards further fall out of fashion – for example, managers moving to a 4-5-1 in Gameweek 24 to accommodate the likes of Cole Palmer (£10.4m) and Bruno Fernandes (£9.1m) – then it’s always worth keeping an eye out for regular starters in the budget striker pool.