But Just 36 hours before the transfer deadline, when West Ham’s hopes of signing Steed Malbranque from Fulham were vanishing, Pardew received a call from chairman Terence Brown.

He was told that Tevez and his Argentina international team-mate Javier Mascherano, the defensive midfielder, were both available.

“I was at the Argentina-Serbia game when Tevez came on as a substitute and he took my breath away,” said Pardew.

“I think the fans here will see a player in the history of West Ham who will get them off their seats.

“Of the two, he is the one who is a special talent and, hopefully, he will take us to another level, like Rooney does when he plays for Manchester United.

“He is that type of talent and I want that in my team.

“I went to the Argentina game to see the quality and level they are at without thinking I would sign one of the players.

“To say I was there scouting wouldn’t be the case but I did think at the time I wouldn’t mind having some of those players in my team!”

Having been stunned by what he saw during Argentina’s 6-0 win over Serbia and Montenegro, Pardew wrote in The Independent: “I saw in less than 10 minutes that Tevez can be a star for the next 10 years.

“He will be a top, top player. Tevez has an assurance about his ability. He’s got good agility and looks like a striker who has every tool.

“He’s a decent size too. He’s more explosive than Lionel Messi. He’s really a Maradona-type player. He has more goals in him than Lionel Messi and works higher up the pitch. Tevez will always be at the sharp end and I like that.”

Tevez is a short, stocky, powerful striker. As Pardew described, he is of a similar build to Maradona and to Rooney.

He also shares their fiery temperament but Pardew has no plans to try and change his character.

“If you look at players of his type, I think they carry that trait, because they are so special and have that talent they are picked out more from an early age,” said Pardew.

“Rooney was probably getting special attention from other players when he was 10 years old.

“You are going to build up that anger and frustration in your system.

“I don’t expect his fiery side to disappear under my management but Carlos has to channel it better and the great players do that.

“He is a young boy who is impetuous and is going to have to learn lessons quickly, especially in the Premiership, because he’ll be a target.”

The arrival of Tevez and Mascherano, who are both 22, has been shrouded in mystery with West Ham keeping all the financial details confidential.

This led to speculation that both players are just using West Ham as a staging post for big money moves at the end of the season.

Further spice was added to the story on Friday when West Ham confirmed they had held exploratory takeover talks.

It is believed the man behind the proposed bid is Kia Joorabchian, the Iranian-born financier who controls the careers of both Tevez and Mascherano.

Pardew admits he can understand why the Hammers fans are concerned about the whole deal, but he urged them to brush aside the negativity and just “rejoice” at the arrival of two world-class players.

Pardew has a guarantee that both Tevez and Mascherano will be West Ham players for at least the whole of this season.

“The history and reputation of the two players is such that you just don’t turn them down,” said Pardew.

“I don’t want to be a mediocre club. It doesn’t interest me. We want to challenge the big teams in this division and this a route to doing that.

“We have a great team for a whole season and at the end of the season we will review and hopefully we will have had such success these guys will stay with us not just for one year but two or three.

“They have signed four-year contracts. People forget that.”

Both players were linked with the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal but insisted West Ham’s ability to make them feel wanted persuaded them to sign on at Upton Park.

Mascherano said: “There were other offers in the pipeline that didn’t come to fruition. The best things that came out of it was found out how loved we were by West Ham and how wanted we were.

“As a footballer you have to look at how much a team wants you to be there and make a decision.

"That is what we did.

“Coming from South America or from Argentina it was a boyhood dream to play in England. The future plans of West Ham, and the fact they made us a firm offer, is very encouraging.”