Paco Jemez is loving life at West Ham United right now but, while Premier League survival is the only thing on his mind right now, a return to Rayo Vallecano is something Nuno Espirito Santo’s assistant could not turn down.

Saturday’s late kick-off between West Ham United and Manchester City will see Pep Guardiola share a touchline with an old La Liga rival.

It is no secret that Guardiola is a huge Paco Jemez fan. He is not the only one.

What would you say if Paco Jemez took Nuno’s job?

He’s certainly made a big impact…

Many believe that Jemez’s arrival was the spark which ignited West Ham’s survival charge. The intensity, fierce work ethic and cult of personality which helped Rayo Vallecano become an established La Liga outfit has been put to very good use at the London Stadium.

West Ham United assistant Paco Jemez would re-join Rayo Vallecano

Speaking on the SER Podcast, Jemez admits that he would not turn down the chance to pick up where he left off in Valecas, even if keeping the Hammers in the Premier League is clearly the priority right now.

“When Rayo doesn’t have a coach and needs someone, and I think I’m the right person, it [only] takes me half a second to get there!” says Jemez before laughing off suggestions that he would look to install Nuno Espirito Santo as his number two.

“He’d have to return the favour, wouldn’t he?! The day I ask him, he’ll have to return it!”

Jemez had two spells in charge of Rayo from 2012 to 2020.

The minnows of Madrid enjoyed a best-ever La Liga campaign under the Hammers assistant back in 2013, finishing eighth while recording the fourth-highest possession stats in Europe’s major leagues, behind only Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Guardiola’s own Bayern Munich.

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Since his appointment in mid-January, West Ham have picked up 12 points more than Tottenham and eight more than Nottingham Forest. While this is obviously a tall order – even if Erling Haaland is in dreadful form right now – the Hammers can leapfrog both of their relegation rivals should they beat Manchester City and other results go their way.

Such is the pace of the turnaround, striker Taty Castellanos can become the first since Vladimir Coufal in 2020 to win at least five of his first ten Premier League games after joining the Hammers.

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“I think Tottenham were about 12 points ahead of us,” Jemez adds. “Leeds were also 11 points ahead, and now we’re tied with Forest. The team has completely turned it around in these last nine matches.

“It was a very, very complicated situation – difficult throughout the season – but we’ve reached this final stretch with many options. Our morale is sky-high because we’ve proven we can do it.

“I think the first step is always the most difficult, isn’t it? Making up that many points in a league as competitive as the Premier League.”

This week, left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf became the latest to praise Jemez’s impact. Ollie Scarles and Konstantinos Mavropanos have already credited the 55-year-old Canary Islander for transforming their backline.

“[Joining West Ham] is an experience I knew I couldn’t pass up,” Jemez admits. “Being able to experience a league as big as the Premier League from the inside isn’t something everyone gets to do.

“I feel very fortunate to continue experiencing this league because it’s a tremendous experience in every aspect.”