Selling players and appointing Paco Jemez helped Nuno Espirito Santo turn things around at West Ham United.
Indeed, while much of the focus during the January window was on the players who West Ham eventually brought in, getting players out was equally as important.
Nuno consistently spoke of the need for the club to rebalance their squad, which happened in the end.
What would you say if Paco Jemez took Nuno’s job?
He's certainly made a big impact…
Paco Jemez the manager of Rayo Vallecano reacts during the La Liga match between RC Celta de Vigo and Rayo Vallecano de Madrid at Abanca Balaidos Stadium on May 18, 2019 in Vigo, Spain.
According to Standard Sport, that had a significant impact on harmony behind the scenes.
Where the West Ham head coach was once thought to have been distant with the players on the periphery of his squad, their departures have created a new energy behind the scenes at Rush Green.
Outgoings were seen as a priority during the January transfer window, and they have clearly played a big role in the turnaround in form.
Paco Jemez has also played a key role in West Ham’s improvement
The report also explains that the Irons had a “previously fractured dressing room”, one that was addressed by careful planning in the transfer market.
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It’s not particularly fair to speculate on who exactly Nuno grew distant with. Twelve players left West Ham in January, representing quite the mid-season rebuild.
Standard Sport add that the West Ham dressing room is now a unifying force and that the arrival of Jemez as a first-team coach in January has helped to bring in an important voice.
Jemez’s impact has been hailed at West Ham, with several players talking about how he’s improved the defence since his arrival.
Paco Jemez looks on during West Ham United's Premier League game against Bournemouth.
Photo by Kevin Hodgson/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
West Ham United crisis talks confirmed by dressing room insider
Tomas Soucek is a leading figure at West Ham and has been for years now.
As such, his words should carry a certain degree of weight.
After the draw with Manchester United earlier this month, Soucek confirmed that honest talks were held inside the West Ham dressing room.
They agreed to focus on the collective rather than try to play as individuals, which had brought them little in the way of success for the opening five months of the campaign.
West Ham could still be relegated, of course. Still, without such crucial interventions, they’d surely be down already.
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