West Ham United's low morale described as 'worse than Ibiza'

West Ham United are making a fist of the Premier League relegation battle but Nuno Espirito Santo had to solve some problems before they gave themselves a puncher's chance of survival.

West Ham are currently in the Premier League relegation zone but level on points with Nottingham Forest, Nuno's former club. They've played 11 league games in the second half of the season, losing four and winning four.

Nuno was appointed as the successor to Graham Potter in September and moved quickly to add former Spanish international defender Paco Jemez as his assistant manager.

West Ham coach reveals the extent of West Ham's 'very low' morale

Jemez, who arrived in London with extensive experience as a manager in Spain, Mexico and Azerbaijan over the last two decades, recognised that the Hammers' problems in the Premier League ran deeper than tactics.

The 55-year-old left third-tier Ibiza in October and joined Nuno's backroom team, immediately taking the opportunity to assess what was needed to rejuvenate West Ham's hopes of avoiding the drop.

In an interview with the Spanish media, Jemez hailed the Hammers' improvement since the turn of the year.

"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," Jemez told Diario de Ibiza via Sport Witness.

"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."

Jemez said that the squad's confidence had been boosted, no doubt amplified by the fact that once-adrift West Ham have achieved what the former Ibiza coach sees as a levelling of the playing field.

West Ham are now in the relegation zone on goal difference alone, with eight matches remaining in the 2025-26 season.

Nuno and his staff have overseen a significant improvement in fortunes in their previous eight games, and the run-in is about as manageable as they could have reasonably hoped at this stage of the season.

Forest and Tottenham Hotspur are both within reach and the Hammers' next three opponents will be out-of-form Aston Villa, relegation favourites Wolverhampton Wanderers and mid-table Crystal Palace.

They face Leeds United at home on the final day of the season, while Forest host Bournemouth and Spurs welcome Everton.