Pardew: I didn’t threaten to leave

WEST HAM manager Alan Pardew has distanced himself from suggestions that he threatened to walk out of Upton Park unless the struggling club scrapped a proposed £70 million takeover bid.

Speculation mounted after Iranian businessman Kia Joorabchian brought Argentinian World Cup stars Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano to Upton Park from Brazilian champions Corinthians for an undisclosed fee just before the close of the August transfer window.

Since then, West Ham, early-season pacesetters, have drawn with Aston Villa before five consecutive defeats as the South American duo struggled to settle.