La Liga strugglers Las Palmas reappoint Jemez as coach

BARCELONA - 21 December 2017: La Liga basement club Las Palmas have reappointed former Rayo Vallecano and Granada coach Paco Jemez as their manager, the Canary Island side said on Thursday.

"Las Palmas have reached an agreement until the end of the season with Paco Jemez," said a statement on the club's official website (www.udlaspalmas.es).

"He arrives as a free agent after finishing his journey in Mexican football with Cruz Azul. He will be presented officially on Dec. 27."

Jemez, who coached Las Palmas when they were in the Segunda Dision A between 2010 and 2011, is best known in Spain for his stint at Rayo, who he kept in the top flight on a shoestring budget for three consecutive years before being relegated in May 2016.

He then took over at Granada at the beginning of the last campaign but was sacked little more than a month into the new season. He parted ways with Mexican side Cruz Azul on Nov. 27.

He is the third appointment Las Palmas have made since July, after Manolo Marquez resigned in September and Pako Ayestaran was sacked on Nov. 30.

Paquito Ortiz has been caretaker coach of the club since then, and they tried to appoint Argentine Jorge Almiron as their permanent coach although the move was blocked by the Spanish football federation, who ruled he was not sufficiently qualified to take the job despite leading Lanus to the 2017 Copa Libertadores final.

Las Palmas were beaten 2-0 at Getafe on Wednesday and are rooted to the bottom of the Liga standings on 11 points. Jemez's first league game in charge will be at home to Eibar on Jan. 6.