Valentín Castellanos

Castellanos lives off the shoulder of the last defender, timing his runs so he arrives in the box just as the cross or through ball is played. He shoots on sight rather than waiting for the perfect chance, trusting that enough attempts will eventually beat the goalkeeper. That instinct once produced one of the most remarkable scoring afternoons anybody had seen in years, away from home against elite opposition, proof his finishing can suddenly explode without warning.

The worry with a forward like this is consistency, because a striker who shoots that often inevitably goes through spells where nothing lands. West Ham need somebody willing to keep pulling the trigger through the quiet weeks rather than losing faith and drifting out of games. Whether his sharp movement holds up against deeper, more patient defences than he faced before will decide how well this move actually works.