West Ham Face Audacious River Plate Raid For £25m Striker: Should They Sell?

West Ham Face Audacious River Plate Raid For £25m Striker: Should They Sell? Scott Parker inherited a West Ham side that scores freely yet lacks stability. The Hammers had netted 36 times in 14 Championship games when Nuno Espírito Santo lost his job on November 3 with the club eighth, and Parker, who won promotions from this division with Fulham, Bournemouth and Burnley, has one point from his first two matches. A 3-3 draw at Cardiff, where Jack Moylan scored a first-half hat-trick, preceded a 2-1 defeat at Blackburn, their first away loss of the season. Goals from Andri Gudjohnsen and Dapo Afolayan left Parker bitterly disappointed after his side dominated possession. The more interesting change came up front. Nuno favoured two strikers, whereas West Ham lined up in a 4-2-3-1 at Cardiff, where Mukasa, Engels and Kilman scored in a comeback from 3-0 down, and a 4-4-1-1 at Ewood Park, giving the forwards different jobs each time. Joël Piroe, on loan from Leeds after winning the 2024/25 Golden Boot with 19 goals, led the line against Blackburn. Pablo, the 22-year-old Brazilian signed in January, has one league goal in nine appearances, while captain Jarrod Bowen’s seven and Konstantinos Mavropanos’s five show how widely West Ham spread their scoring. LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 19: Taty Castellanos of West Ham United during the Sky Bet Championship 2026/27 match between Millwall and West Ham United at The Den on September 19, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images) That context matters for Taty Castellanos, who led the line at Cardiff, then set up Piroe’s goal from the bench at Blackburn. The 28-year-old has one goal and four assists in 14 league games and underperformed his expected goals by roughly two by late October. His movement and link play are the highlight, while finishing and physical presence draw criticism. El Intransigente, via Sport Witness , reports that River Plate manager Leonardo Ponzio has made him his top target for the 2027 window. His contract runs until 2030, and he reportedly earns £75,000 a week, which River struggle to match. No offer exists, and Soy del Millo says River need West Ham’s backing for a loan with a fee or a percentage purchase. Should West Ham let Castellanos leave for River Plate in January? Not on River’s terms. Castellanos offers link play and assists that Pablo’s single goal doesn’t replace. A loan would bring an unknown fee and probably leave West Ham covering part of his salary, while a percentage deal returns only a slice of the £25m they paid. If River approach that fee, listen, because one league goal on £75,000 a week is hard to defend. Otherwise, keep him, as a January sale would leave a promotion chase leaning on one loan striker.