At the start of 2026, West Ham United were seven points a drift and looked destined for relegation from the Premier League. Since then, Nuno Espirito Santo and his team have turned things around, changing the mood at the Hammers alongside their league predicament, with the team now only in the bottom three on goal difference.
A big part of the West Ham revolution has been the turnover of their defence, something they have Paco Jemez to thank for. The Spaniard joined the club in mid-January, reuniting with Nuno. Jemez was not only tasked with fixing a leaky defence, but lifting the mood at within the players and staff at the club.
55-year-old had been with Spanish third division side Ibiza, but after leaving them in October, he wasn’t going to turn down Nuno’s call. The addition marked a significant turning point in West Ham‘s season and Jemez’s impact cannot be understated.
A broken West Ham dressing room
The biggest issue at West Ham in early January was not only the performances on the pitch, but the atmosphere in the dressing room. It’s incredibly hard to turn around a sinking ship, when every member of staff thinks you’ve already sunk.
In an interview with Spanish media, Jemez confirmed just how low morale was, knowing it was the first thing he had to work on.
“West Ham’s situation was even worse than what I found in Ibiza. What we’ve done in so few matches is no easy feat in such a competitive league.
“More than tactical issues, the first thing was to change the dynamic and the morale, which was very low. Not only of the players, but also of everyone involved.
“We had to bring joy, make training sessions more dynamic, and get the team to play with less pressure. Little by little, the team has been finding a different rhythm.”
Defensive turnaround
Since Jemez joined the Hammers, things have really turned for the team. Nuno’s West Ham now have a real chance at saving themselves and aside from the completely different togetherness in the squad, the team has become one of the best defensive team’s in 2026.
Since the turn of the year, the Irons have conceded 16 goals in 12 Premier League games, winning four and drawing three. A complete change to the West Ham side that finished 2025, giving them hope and a chance at staying int he division.
West Ham now head to Aston Villa this weekend, knowing a win would take them out of the relegation zone with 17th placed Nottingham Forest facing 16th places Tottenham Hotspur.
