West Ham manager Alan Pardew said he was also 'intrigued' by the club's signings of Argentinean duo Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, but sure they would fit in. The media buzz around the last minute signings of the pair has hinted that the deal was somehow shady, something Pardew dismissed. "With the club admitting exploratory takeover talks as well it's all intriguing - it is to me too," he said told a news conference at Upton Park. The rumors involve the company, Media Sports Investments, which owned rights to the duo when they played for Brazilian side Corinthians, has also been linked to talks of purchasing West Ham. "I don't care what people are saying. I've got two world-class players at West Ham - let's rejoice." The duo is contracted for four years at an undisclosed sum, an issue Pardew says people will have to overlook. "But the transfer system is changing rapidly. Transfers across the board and the role of agencies in terms of buying players is changing," he said. "But some of the things printed about this one, like shady dealing - there is just no truth in it, as far as I'm concerned." He went on to express his excitement at having the world class players join his team, but said he would not worry about how or why they arrived.
Pardew " I can't worry about that, I'm the team manager. I've put the terms of the deal to the back of my mind," said Pardew. Pardew's got bigger fish to fry, and hopes Tevez and Mascherano will help West Ham find its way into the Premiership finals again this year. Still he swears the 22-year-olds were not guaranteed field time in the deal. "I will never be forced to play either of them - as has also been suggested. If that was the case I wouldn't be here anymore," Pardew said. Considering the high value Pardew placed on the players, Mascherano admitted they wanted to join West Ham because of the club's enthusiasm towards signing them. "We were both very happy to receive the offer from West Ham," Mascherano said. "The fact that they made us a firm offer was encouraging and you always go to the place where you are most wanted. "But we haven't come to save anyone. We are both team players and we come into a big team with great spirit and will work hard for the team," he added. Tevez was quick to echo his compatriot's sentiment and admitted his excitement for getting a chance to take on the Premiership league. "We both wanted to play in the Premiership, which is one of the biggest leagues in the world, and that is why we are at West Ham."
