Speculation has been rife over the future of West Ham assistant coach Paco Jemez after he appeared to say goodbye to the club – but now there has been a major twist.
It has been all change at West Ham since relegation to the Championship.
Karren Brady left a few weeks before the end of the season and was followed by majority owner David Sullivan at the weekend.
Top talent scout Max Hahn has left West Ham and nine players have already been released with incessant rumours about the sale of key stars.
Jemez makes emphatic statement on his West Ham future
One man who is sticking around is head coach Nuno Espirito Santo after he committed his future to the Hammers despite relegation from the Premier League.
But it looked like he may have to find a new assistant coach after key man Paco Jemez appeared to say goodbye at the end of the season.
On a scale of 1-10, how confident are YOU that Nuno leads us straight back up? 👀
Here's why I think we can learn NOTHING from his time at Wolves 👇
Now Jemez has made a statement on his West Ham future and a pledge to Hammers fans.
The Irons looked dead and buried when they lost at home to Nuno’s former club Nottingham Forest at the start of the year.
A massive turnaround in performances and results gave the Hammers a chance of Premier League survival when there was absolutely no hope before.
West Ham’s change in fortunes was attributed to the arrival of no-nonsense Spanish coach Jemez.
And the stats certainly back that up. Following the former Ibiza manager being brought in as Nuno’s assistant, West Ham closed a 13-point gap on Spurs to eventually leapfrog them in the table ahead of the final five games.
In fact after Jemez’s arrival in east London in January, West Ham were the sixth best team in the entire Premier League.
Jemez staying at West Ham and makes vow to fans
The Hammers looked like they were set to lose the highly-regarded coach when Jemez announced he was leaving West Ham on social media.
There have been doubts over the validity of the account associated to Jemez, though.
Give us your reaction as West Ham confirm 9 departures! 👇
Goodbye Traore and Fabianski! 👋
Now there appears to be fantastic news for West Ham this week.
Because Jemez has declared he wants to stay at the club, loves the fans and wants to get the Hammers back where they belong in the Premier League.
“I hope I can do my bit to return the club to the top,” told Mail Sport journalist Alex Jennings.
“West Ham should always be in the Premier League.
“The fans have shown me so much love, they’ve made me a Hammer for life.”
Jemez has become something of a cult hero among fans and his influence was also noted by pundits, with Jamie Carragher saying Jemez could be the difference for West Ham before they stumbled with those three defeats during the final four games.
The impact Jemez staying could have on West Ham’s promotion hopes cannot be underestimated.
The Spaniard, who is loved by Pep Guardiola, also endeared himself to fans after reading the riot act to Nuno for trying to bring Max Kilman on as a late sub to see out a game.
After that incident Jemez said he was brought to West Ham to challenge Nuno not be a ‘yes man’.
But it appears he has said a very important ‘yes’ to extending his stay in east London in what could be one of the most important signings of West Ham’s summer.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
