West Ham pulled off one of the football world’s biggest shocks by signing Argentine duo Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano back in 2006.
Their arrival at Upton Park sparked rumours and gossip with questions about how the club could afford the pair.
The Irons ultimately faced punishment for breaking third-party ownership rules, but Tevez helped keep the club in the Premier League before moving on to Manchester United.
When did West Ham sign Tevez and Mascherano?
West Ham completed one of the most surprising double signings in football history on 31 August 2006. Argentine pair Tevez and Mascherano had just starred in the 2006 World Cup and were already well-known across Europe.
Both had been outstanding for Argentina and were by no means unknown talents before their move to Upton Park – which made the shock transfer so unexpected. Both players enjoyed superb careers across some of the game’s biggest clubs, yet arrived in East London on the same day in 2006.
ON THIS DAY: In 2006, West Ham pulled off an incredible Argentinian double swoop.
🇦🇷 Carlos Tévez
🇦🇷 Javier Mascherano pic.twitter.com/I2cBdwEvih— Squawka (@Squawka) August 31, 2018
Who signed Tevez for West Ham?
Carlos Tevez’s transfer to West Ham came after heavy links to Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea at the time. The reigning Premier League champions were the expected destination for the striker.
West Ham were a mid-table club at the time, with no truly ‘world class’ talent in their ranks in that period. But out of absolutely nowhere, manager Alan Pardew unveiled not only Tevez, but his international teammate Mascherano on deadline day in 2006.
Unsurprisingly, it sent West Ham fans into rapture, in a deal with very few details published. As it turns out, the lack of details were for a reason, with the deal absolutely fraudulent and earning West Ham a hefty fine and heaps of criticism.
How West Ham managed to sign Tevez and Mascherano
Tevez And Mascherano’s transfer to West Ham came completely out of the blue.
With today’s social media circus only in it’s infancy, there was little to link the Argentine pair to West Ham before their deadline day arrival. Rumours were minimal, so when they were photographed by Sky alongside an ecstatic Alan Pardew, nobody saw it coming.
The club kept their cards close to their chest when discussing the deal. A statement read: “The pair have been signed for an undisclosed fee and put pen-to-paper on permanent contracts with the club this afternoon. All other aspects of the transfers will remain confidential and undisclosed.”
West Ham’s record deal at the time was the less-than-£10 million signing of Dean Ashton, so the cost of both Argentina stars raised plenty of eyebrows. Many questioned out loud how West Ham could have raised the funds required to sign one, let alone both, of the duo.
Tevez Keeps West Ham Up
But despite the high-profile arrivals, it looked as if West Ham were heading down after signing two absolute flops. Tevez failed to score a goal under Pardew, while Mascherano played just five times before moving to Liverpool.
Tevez was taken off early against Sheffield United and threw a monster tantrum. But with Pardew gone, Alan Curbishley arrived and got the best out of the striker.
Despite being fined by the Premier League, West Ham were allowed to continue playing Tevez. He went on to score seven goals that season, playing a huge role in West Ham’s survival.
One such goal proved vital, with Tevez netting against Manchester United to keep the Hammers up.
The Argentine signed for Man United that summer, having gone down in West Ham folklore in just one season. While only at the club briefly, Tevez is still fondly remembered by West Ham fans for his controversial cameo.
He would help United win the UEFA Champions League in 2008, scoring five goals in the competition.
Why Were West Ham Punished For Signing Tevez And Mascherano?
The mysterious double signing did not go uninvestigated, though. Daniel Hurley, author of “The Greatest Escape” which details West Ham’s season in 2006/07, told the BBC: “I’m baffled that nobody looked into it more at the time.
“To pull off signings like that and basically say ‘we don’t want to talk about it’ is so strange. If you make a signing like that, you should be shouting about it from the rooftops.”
The reason for their low-key announcement eventually became clear. West Ham had broken third-party ownership rules after it was discovered that rights to the duo were partially held by Media Sports Investment.
That company was owned by Kia Joorabchian, who owned a majority stake in Corinthians, where the pair played previously. Jooranchian retained his investment despite selling his shares in the club.
Such deals are forbidden in the Premier League, meaning West Ham shouldn’t have been able to complete the transfers. But by the time the issue came to light, former-owner Terry Brown had already sold the club.
Found this in the loft on the weekend. What might have been eh… 😢 #WHUFC #COYI #Tevez #Mashcerano #Shambles pic.twitter.com/gA7N1xzPTE
— Travis Newton (@ntrav99) April 19, 2017
West Ham were in a relegation battle at the time, with rivals demanding a points deduction. But no deduction came, as the club were instead fined £5.5 million.
Ex-Wigan manager Paul Jewell said at the time: “I had someone from the Premier League in my office. I said: ‘If that had been Wigan or Watford who broke the rules, we’d have been getting a points deduction. The reason West Ham aren’t is because they are a big club.’
“He said: ‘I agree with you, but I’ll never say that publicly’. I think they were hoping West Ham were going to go down.”
The Premier League strongly refuted any ‘big club bias’ was involved in the decision.
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