West Ham United coach Paco Jémez is fast becoming the most popular man on the training pitch, with yet more Hammers players lining up to heap praise on Nuno’s new right-hand man.
Last week it was Konstantinos Mavropanos crediting Jémez as a key architect behind West Ham’s recent defensive improvement.
The Spaniard was appointed as assistant to Nuno Espírito Santo last month, and his arrival has coincided with a noticeable upturn in form.
Of course, it’s not all down to Paco. The impact of January arrival Taty Castellanos, the departure of Lucas Paquetá, plus the influence of Crysencio Summerville and Mateus Fernandes have all played their part.
But there’s little doubt Jémez has made a huge impression — and the players aren’t shy about saying so.
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“Paco’s Been Brilliant”
Ollie Scarles summed up the mood inside the camp:
“I guess you could say he’s a lucky charm. We’re fighting every game. We’re positive. Paco’s been brilliant. He’s really good to be around and brings a good vibe. All the coaches are vocal, but it’s good for the group to have one to motivate us.”
And Fernandes also joined the queue to praise the assistant manager:
“He doesn’t speak very good English, but I understand Spanish, so I try to speak with him. He’s been a very good coach for us. Now we have that winning feeling. Paco has told us to believe, fight, and control the games.”
There’s no question Jémez has helped ignite the much-improved fight we’re now seeing from this West Ham side.
I only wish he’d been brought in sooner.
Because had this energy and togetherness arrived earlier in the season, we might not be staring at such a nervy run-in now.