There could be yet another change of manager at West Ham in the next few months but the club have the perfect replacement lined up if they drop – especially after a claim from Jarrod Bowen.
After throwing away more precious points in the battle to avoid relegation in the 1-1 draw with Man United, West Ham find themselves two points off 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.
That could be extended to five points if Forest beat Wolves, meaning Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have 12 games to pull off a new great escape.
There is a strange mix of opinions around Nuno in east London.
Many fans feel the club would be safe in midtable and perhaps even pushing for Europe had Nuno been the manager from the summer.
Others are blaming the Portuguese’s in-game tactics and substitutions for West Ham throwing away a whopping 20 points – yes TWENTY – from winning positions.
Opinion remains split over Nuno at West Ham
If the Hammers had those points now they would be in the top six of the Premier League.
Even if the Irons had held on for half of them, they would be around midtable and on the verge of safety with 12 games to go.
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A graphic showing Nuno Espirito Santo's quote after West Ham draw with Manchester United
Credit: Getty Images/Justin Setterfield
Should West Ham be relegated it seems highly unlikely Nuno will be retained.
Although a number of supporters want Nuno to stay even if the club drops into the Championship.
It was revealed recently that Nuno can be sacked without compensation if the Hammers are relegated.
West Ham boss Nuno Espírito Santo gestures on the touchline
Photo by Ian Kington / AFP via Getty Images
A clause in his Hammers contract allows the 52-year-old to walk away from his West Ham contract for his own convenience if relegation occurs.
One reason for the clause is that Nuno – like many of West Ham’s players – faces a 50 per cent drop in wages were that to happen, falling from £4.5m to £2.25m per season.
It means Nuno could leave the club in the summer, one way or another – less than one year into a three-year deal.
And there is nothing West Ham could do about it.
But West Ham have the perfect Nuno replacement for that doomsday scenario after a Jarrod Bowen claim.
West Ham have perfect Nuno replacement after Bowen claim
Those watching West Ham’s draw with Manchester United on TV, would have seen former Hammer Michail Antonio asking a very interesting question of captain Bowen.
Judging by how he was greeted by the entire squad, it is clear Antonio still has lots of friends in the West Ham dressing room.
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So he will be privy to information about the team and the club.
He pointedly asked Bowen whether it was a coincidence that the team’s performances and results have spiked sharply since the arrival of Paco Jemez as Nuno’s assistant.
Jemez is already a fan favourite after he was seen going ballistic at Nuno for bringing on Max Kilman when the Hammers were in the lead.
Paco Jemez speaks to Nuno Espirito Santo during West Ham's game with Chelsea.
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Jemez explained all on his heated exchange with Nuno, saying he was brought to the club to be honest with the head coach.
Since West Ham confirmed the appointment of Jemez on January 15th, West Ham have played five, won three, drawn one and lost one, taking 10 points from a possible 15.
And that loss, the 3-2 collapse at Chelsea, could and should have been another win or at the very least a draw.
West Ham have scored 10 goals in that time, two per game on average and have conceded five – well down on their average of over two per game.
Prior to Jemez coming in, West Ham had played 21, won just three, drawn five and lost 13 which had them on just 14 points with a goal difference of -21.
It is clear in black and white that the scowling former Ibiza boss has had a major impact.
No-nonsense Jemez the ideal man if West Ham drop
Jemez is known for his no-nonsense demeanour and attacking football.
After he berated Nuno for bringing on Kilman, Jemez revealed he was advising the manager to bring on a different – more attacking – replacement.
With that as background, Bowen’s response suggests West Ham may already have the perfect Nuno replacement in the building if he does leave come what May.
“Mate, Paco, yea (he has made a big difference),” Bowen told Antonio on TNT Sports.
“You wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of him I’ll tell you that for free.
“He’s come in and he’s focused a lot on the defenders. I think his playing background was being a defender himself and he’s come in and he’s worked with the manager and helped the manager in different ways with the defensive side of things, you know balls into the box, crosses into the box.
“Obviously it’s not going to change overnight, you know that, but just little things – you have the attackers doing their finishing, you got the midfielders doing things and (now) we’ve got the defenders really working on keeping the ball out of the back of our net.”
Bowen isn’t the only one who has been impressed by Jemez.
Konstantinos Mavropanos has been much-improved of late and sang the new coach’s praises in a recent interview.
The Athletic’s West Ham reporter Roshane Thomas also spotted something Jemez during the recent game against Chelsea which shows his influence.
“Pablo was drenched in sweat around the 30th min, the guy is a workaholic!” Thomas said during that game against Chelsea.
“Not sure if it was picked up on camera, but Paco Jemez pulled Pablo to one side during the break-in play and told him to be more physical. So encouraging to see West Ham play this well.”
One would assume Nuno will stay if he keeps West Ham up.
Hopefully that would mean Jemez sticking around too.
But if the worst case scenario plays out with relegation and Nuno departing, perhaps West Ham have the answer to their managerial problem already in the building.
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