After Jamie Vardy, Valentin Castellanos: more criticism of Serie A
After Jamie Vardy, here comes Valentin Castellanos. These weeks, which coincide with the start of the 2026 World Cup, are also seeing several players take advantage of the global spotlight to open up on a wide variety of podcasts. One of them is the former Lazio forward, now at West Ham, who has since jumped on the same bandwagon started by the Englishman fresh off his stint at Cremonese. That is, the path of those who, having experienced it firsthand, tear Serie A apart.
To be honest, Taty Castellanos didn’t use the same categorical and, above all, harsh tone as Vardy. From his perspective, too, however, the experience in Italy was a source of frustration. “Playing in the Premier League is crazy, spectacular. It feels like I’m in the NBA of soccer,” the former Lazio player revealed on the ‘Yo Nunca Nunca’ podcast. “I’d already played in La Liga and Serie A, but here everything is different. The level is really, really high.”
The counterpart to the top English league, therefore, is none other than the “usual” maligned Italy. “Serie A is very defensive. Very, very defensive. As a forward, I found it very tough from that perspective. Teams sit very deep, then launch counterattacks. Open play is often absent; tactics prevail, whereas the Premier League is 100% physical. As a striker, I like it much better; you have plenty of chances to score, whereas there you get at most 3 or 4 per game. And you have to score in those four, or they get angry,” is Castellanos’s “insider” take.
The Argentine striker’s transfer to the Hammers took place last January, with Lazio receiving approximately €30 million from his permanent sale. It was a departure that caused quite a stir at Lazio, so much so that Maurizio Sarri made no secret of his disappointment at a squad that had suddenly been weakened. Castellanos’ departure, combined with the nearly simultaneous exit of Matteo Guendouzi—who headed to Fenerbahçe for a similar fee—left the Tuscan coach with very few options available for the second half of the season.
Upon arriving at West Ham, Castellanos found a team in the thick of a relegation battle. The Hammers, led by Nuno Espirito Santo, were in the relegation zone in February, with just three wins in their first 21 Premier League matches. The Argentine immediately made his mark, scoring on his very first appearance in a London jersey and contributing to the team’s (albeit inconsistent) fortunes in the weeks that followed. An immediate impact that, evidently, confirmed his feeling of being in a league better suited to his characteristics as a striker.
On the other hand, Vardy’s adventure in Serie A also ended on a sour note. The English striker, who had enjoyed an extraordinary start to the season with Cremonese—even winning the EA Sports FC Player of the Month award for November after contributing to the Grigiorossi’s sensational 2-1 victory at San Siro against Milan — was then sidelined by injury during the most critical part of the season. His last goal before a long drought came on January 8, in the 2-2 draw against Cagliari, before he found the net again on Matchday 36 against Pisa. A bittersweet ending to an experience that, in his own words on the ‘Jamie Vardy’s Having A Party’ podcast, didn’t leave particularly positive memories: “Italian soccer is much slower and much more defensive. And then the training sessions are non-stop: run, run, run, then you show up for the match and there’s nothing left to give.”
In short, whether you’re Vardy or Castellanos, foreign players’ opinions on Serie A seem to converge on a common theme. The Italian league continues to pay the price for an image linked to tactics and caution, at least in the eyes of those who have had the chance to compare it with the frenzy and physicality of the Premier League. A debate that, in all likelihood, will not end with the ongoing World Cup.
