Paco Jemez appears to be on his way out of West Ham United after only four months as Nuno Espirito Santo’s number two at the London Stadium.
Via his social media channels, Jemez seemingly bid farewell to the Hammers on Friday morning.
The Spaniard’s departure has not been well-received by West Ham United supporters. One suspects the Hammers’ playing staff will be sad to see him go, too.
What are your immediate thoughts as Paco Jemez leaves West Ham? 👀
I'm gutted!
Ollie Scarles, Dinos Mavropanos, Freddie Potts and Mateus Fernandes all raved about Paco Jemez’s impact following his arrival in January. The stats also show that West Ham recorded more wins, more points-per-game and conceded fewer goals with the 56-year-old in the dugout.
So while the Hammers are looking at hiring a director of football with Kieran Scott of Middlesbrough linked this week, Jemez’s departure may require another behind-the-scenes addition during what is already shaping up to be a hectic summer of ins and outs.
Nuno Espirito Santo may need a new assistant at West Ham United
Rui Pedro Silva worked closely with Nuno at Rio Ave, Valencia, Porto, Wolves and most recently Nottingham Forest. The manager’s long-time confidante returned to Molineux late last year, however, and remains under contract in the Black Country.
Nuno and Silva may be reunited next term, albeit as opponents this time around.
Scot Ian Cathro is also in a role elsewhere. He is the head coach of Estoril in Portugal. After waiting seven years for a managerial role to present itself, one imagines Cathro will not want to step back into an assistant role.
Julio Figueroa, though, may be a name to keep an eye on.
Figueroa was expected to join Nuno at West Ham following the sacking of Graham Potter in September.
Mark Robson, Steve Potts, Gerard Prenderville and Billy Lepine were promoted from the academy instead. The suspicion was that West Ham’s board reneged on an agreement to pay the money required to reunite Nuno with his trusted aides, although goalkeeping coach Rui Barbosa would later reunite with the Iberian in East London.
How important is it that West Ham hire a Director of Football? 💰 🖋️
Middlesbrough's Kieran Scott has been linked…
Figueroa, interestingly, is currently out of work, eight months after leaving Nottingham Forest in the autumn.
There is therefore a chance that a man who worked as Nuno’s assistant at Valencia, Wolves and the City Ground between 2014 and 2025 – after a year spent as Barcelona’s sports psychologist – may yet find himself sitting alongside an extremely familiar face once again before long.
“It’s been tough, but it’s been worth it,” Paco Jemez said on his X account five days after West Ham’s relegation was confirmed. “Thank you Nuno! Thank you West Ham, thank you Hammers!
“From now on, I’m just another Irons [fan].”
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