Taty Castellanos: Lazio signing with proven goalscoring record for NYCFC and Girona

It is finally official. Taty Castellanos is now a Lazio forward. The striker, who already completed his medicals at Lazio earlier this week has now been confirmed as a new Lazio forward. According to various reports, New York City FC will receive €15 million for the 24-year-old striker, who spent the 2022/23 season on loan at Girona. That fee makes Castellanos the fifth most expensive outgoing transfer in MLS history. 

The fee is also a reflection of his market value, which Castellanos—despite an initial drop from €12m to €9—managed to increase to €15m. In fact, that loan move to NYCFC’s partner club Girona further underlined Castellanos’ production in Major League Soccer. The 2021 MLS Transfermarkt Player of the Season winner scored 59 goals and 24 assists across all competitions for NYCFC and helped his club win the 2021 MLS Cup. 

Castellanos then took some time to make the transition from MLS to LaLiga. Ahead of the World Cup break, the Argentine managed just three goals in 14 LaLiga appearances. But coming out of the break, Castellanos improved significantly, adding another ten goals, including a historic four-goal performance against Real Madrid in April (4-2).

Who is Taty Castellanos – Lazio’s new goal machine introduced 

The haul against Real Madrid underlined Castellanos’ goalscoring abilities at the highest level. But it was also a continuation of a trend that dates back to MLS. How does Castellanos do it? The striker is a shot machine, and when comparing him to other players in MLS, only Nashville SC sensation Hany Mukhtar (149) had more shots on goal than the 94 shots that Castellanos produced since 2021. 

Those shots also have produced bucketloads of goals. From 2019 when Castellanos joined NYCFC from CA Torque for just €425,000, to 2021, when the Argentine left for Girona, Castellanos has scored 41 regular season goals, just six goals less than Mukhtar, and that is despite leaving NYCFC halfway through the 2021 season. That productivity then continued in LaLiga, where Castellanos ranked sixth with total shots on goal (68), finishing the season ninth in total goals scored. Now the next step is Italy, where Castellanos wants to continue his progress as a top scorer, and going by his numbers in MLS and LaLiga, there is a good chance the 24-year-old will be a sensation in Serie A.