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The deal did not initially have a positive impact on the game. The Hammers made a disappointing start to the new season. One win and one draw at the start was followed by a streak of just three wins in 16 games.
Rodri, Vinicius Jr. or Jude Bellingham? Advantages and disadvantages of the Ballon d’OrFollowing a takeover by Eggert Magnusson in November, who bought the club for £85 million, Pardew was sacked a month later and replaced by Alan Curbishley. As part of the takeover, the new board revealed that Tevez and Mascherano had been hired through so-called “third-party ownership”. A controversial construct in which three parties hold the transfer rights to a player. FIFA banned it in 2015. The Premier League launched an investigation into West Ham at the time. There was a threat of a points deduction, which would have practically sealed demotion.
Meanwhile, Mascherano was struggling in the English House of Lords. In total he played only five Premier League games for the Hammers, all of which were losses. He played more than 90 minutes once, in a 2-0 defeat against Manchester City, and after a seven-minute appearance against Everton in December he was never included in the club’s squad again. In January he moved to Liverpool, initially on loan.
Tevez, on the other hand, had a different performance, although he also revealed problems getting used to it. In 2006, the striker failed to score. He scored his first goal in March 2007 in a stunning 3-4 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur.
That initial spark, however, was gone. In the last nine games of the season, of which West Ham lost only two, Tevez scored six goals, and on the last matchday against champions Manchester United he scored the much-talked-about winning goal. The Hammers had virtually redeemed themselves.
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