"I Would Have Put Another Player" - West Ham Assistant Confirms What was Said in Nuno Altercation

West Ham Assistant Defends What was Said in Nuno Altercation

West Ham United assistant coach Paco Jemez may not have been a Premier League staff member for too long yet, but he has already made the headlines after a touchline altercation with manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

Much to the adoration of the Hammers' fans, Jemez lambasted Santo as he was preparing to substitute on under-fire defender Max Kilman in the dying stages of West Ham's 3-1 win over Sunderland at the weekend.

T E A M
pic.twitter.com/TFWFQFzzWw

— PacoJemezCoach (@PacoJemezCoach) January 24, 2026

The brief feud was spotted by Sky Sports' cameras, leading to plenty of speculation as to what the minor infringement between the two was all about. Now, in a recent press conference, the former UD Ibiza manager has shed light on the situation by confirming that it was a disagreement over Santo's decision to bring on Kilman.

Jemez Puts Kilman Decision on Blast

The 55-year-old Spaniard brought a strong managerial reputation of his own to the London Stadium upon his appointment to Santo's backroom staff, having carved out a two-decade-strong career leading up to his Premier League role. He started his managerial career in 2007 with Alcala, and went on to take the reins with the likes of Las Palmas and Rayo Vallecano in his native Spain.

With West Ham starting to sink without a trace at one stage in Premier League proceedings this term, Santo turned to Jemez's expertise as a new member of his coaching staff. The response has been almost immediate, with the Hammers' smashing out back-to-back wins over Tottenham and Sunderland since Jemez was appointed to the team.

Nuno arguing with his alter ego 😭pic.twitter.com/LyXWAUNQky

— Football Park (@FP_CentreCircle) January 28, 2026

But it has been the latter victory which has shone a spotlight on Jemez and his role. As West Ham held onto their 3-1 lead after goals from Crysencio Summerville, Jarrod Bowen and a scorcher from Matheus Fernandes, Nuno Santo prepared to throw Max Kilman into the fray - Kilman being a £40m signing at the start of last season who has come under serious fire for his performances, hence perhaps why he was on the bench in the first place.

As the substitution was proceeding, however, Jemez approached Santo from his side and made a comment that appeared to irk the former Nottingham Forest boss, leading to him turning around and continuing to question his assistant as the sub continued. Something Santo said appeared to irk Jemez something fierce, with the Spaniard passionately making a statement to his gaffer's face in response.

This was caught at the very end of the game by the TV cameras, and became the dominating topic in light of the game despite a very strong performance from the relegation-threatened Hammers. Now, however, Jemez has jumped to defend his position in the altercation by defending his right to protest his manager's choices.

Jemez: "If I'm Convinced of Something, I'll Keep Telling Him"

Nuno's fiery new assistant spoke with Spanish publication RNE Deportes, and claimed that his argument with Nuno Santo was just a 'football incident'.

Speaking with the press, he outlined that he was brought into his position to do exactly that - question Nuno's decision making:

“I’m used to things being blown out of proportion with me,

“Like the other guy said, things getting out of hand and everything being magnified.

“It’s a football situation where he tells me to do one thing and I tell him the substitution wasn’t bad, but I’d do it with someone else.

Paco Jémez. First game. First win. ⚒️

After months without his own staff, Nuno finally had his first appointment beside him, & Jémez’s debut came in a huge win at Tottenham.

Known for his bold ideas, whether this proves a turning point or just a moment, it felt significant. pic.twitter.com/ZACfaSp22z

— Hammers Hub (@HammersHubWHUFC) January 22, 2026

“These are football situations that happen on the pitch, but at no point was I scolding him or anything I understand that he’s the boss there, and he brought me along so I could give my opinion and so that, even if he thinks he might do something else later, if I’m convinced of something, I’ll keep telling him.

“Then, of course, he’s the one who makes the final decision, and I’ll always respect what he says.

“But he brought me to England not to be silent, but to tell him what I think and to help him, above all to help him.”

One thing is clear; if the wins keep rolling and West Ham preserve their Premier League status when all is said and done, then Paco Jemez will likely have free reign to argue with as many managers as he likes.