West Ham coach Paco Jémez rocking a pink tie when he was in charge at Rayo Vallecano
West Ham coach Paco Jémez rocking a pink tie when he was in charge at Rayo Vallecano
West Ham United assistant manager Paco Jémez had an opportunity to join Tottenham Hotspur.
He joined the Hammers in January, to became part of Nuno Espírito Santo’s backroom staff.
The current West Ham manager had a short spell at Tottenham in 2021. He was in charge for only 17 matches, winning nine of them. That seems like a very successful run judging by today’s Spurs standards, but it wasn’t enough for Nuno back then.
The Portuguese coach was replaced by Antonio Conte in November 2021. During Nuno’s time at the north London club, he wanted to have Jémez as his assistant.
Thursday’s edition of AS has published an interview of the Spaniard. Before taking the Hammers role, he’d been working as a pundit, and he clearly loves chatting. There’s been on average a Spanish interview a week since he arrived in London.
Prior to joining West Ham United, Jémez had only worked as a head coach.
West Ham man reveals Tottenham option
Two months ago, Paco Jémez said Nuno Espírito Santo’s cry for help convinced him to join the Hammers.
During his playing career, he played alongside Nuno at Deportivo La Coruña.
The pair bonded well and the latter called him again for West Ham, after the Tottenham Hotspur move never materialised.
West Ham's Paco Jémez speaks about his Tottenham opportunity
West Ham’s Paco Jémez speaks about his Tottenham opportunity
“We were at Depor together for two years [1996–98] and got along very well. When he was at Tottenham, he already asked me to join him,” he said.
“Now he called me again. He told me the team’s situation was very complicated, that he needed help. That I could offer a different perspective.
“All the circumstances aligned. I couldn’t coach in Spain because the law doesn’t allow you to manage two teams in the same year.”
In his first game in charge as Nuno’s assistant, West Ham beat Tottenham 2-1, and Spurs’ facilities and their stadium impressed Jémez.
Spaniard’s impact on West Ham
Since Paco Jémez’s arrival, the London club have played 12 games and lost three of them. West Ham United beat Brentford to secure a FA Cup quarter final clash against Leeds United.
Despite the results, the Hammers are now 18th in the table, a point behind 17th placed Tottenham Hotspur.
AS credit the assistant for West Ham’s recent run and when responding to that, Jémez explained: “It’s just a coincidence. When I arrived, the atmosphere couldn’t have been good because the team was at the bottom of the table.
“I came with a breath of fresh air, I wasn’t contaminated, so to speak. The first thing I discussed with Nuno was that we had to change that pessimistic atmosphere. It wasn’t a tactical issue. We had to get a quick win and make people realize that we could be better.”
West Ham’s remaining Premier League fixtures
Aston Villa Away 22nd March
Wolves Home 10th April
Crystal Palace Away 20th April
Everton Home 25th April
Brentford Away TBC
Arsenal Home TBC
Newcastle United Away TBC
Leeds United Home TBC
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— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) March 26, 2026