Paco Jemez is the man tipped to replace Mark Warburton as Brentford manager should the popular Bees boss leave at the end of the season.

The west Londoners are reported to have spoken to the Rayo Vallecano boss about taking over at Griffin Park in the summer and the news has overshadowed preparations for tonight's game with Watford.

In his first season with the club, Rayo finished in eighth place and would have qualified for the Europa League but for their finances.

Despite having the lowest budget in La Liga, nearly 100 times smaller than Real Madrid's, Vallecano continue to punch above their financial weight, finishing a creditable 12th last season and they sit in the same place with 16 games remaining.

Both Paco and Warburton have similar philosophies when it comes to playing style with the Spaniard once saying: “playing good football is always the shortest road to victory,” which would explain why Matthew Benham would consider a move for the former Spanish defender.

On his way out? Brentford manager Mark Warburton

The 44-year-old has earned plaudits for his efforts with the Spanish club, with Pep Guardiola saying Bayern, Barcelona and Rayo are the only sides in the world to attempt bold positional play with Paco's side having more of the ball than Barca last season.

The Spaniard has a belief in attacking football and playing the ball on the floor, once saying: “when a coach asked me to kick the ball long I hated it, because what I liked was playing football.”

Warburton has said that 'Plan B' is to do 'Plan A' better and Paco appears to agree with that mantra as his WhatsApp status once ran: "The only satisfaction to be derived from losing is knowing that you did all you could to win.”

While the Brentford boss and Paco share their preferred playing styles, the Spaniard has played at the highest level.

The former defender played in La Liga for Vallecano, Deportivo La Coruna and Real Zaragoza, winning the Copa del Rey in 2001 and 2004.

Paco made 21 appearances for Spain and was involved in La Roja's Euro 2000 campaign where they were beaten in the quarter finals by eventual winners France.

He moved into management in 2007, taking over Alcala, before taking over at Cordoba, Cartagena, Las Palmas and Cordoba again before moving to Rayo Vallecano in 2012.