Sheffield Wednesday appoint man at centre of Tevez storm

Aldridge's arrival will stir unhappy memories across the city at Sheffield United – the Blades were relegated from the Premier League as a result of the Tevez case.

Back in 2007, an independent commission found that Aldridge had told a 'direct lie' to Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore over documents relating to the signings of Tevez and his Argentinian compatriot Javier Mascherano.

Although the Hammers were hit with a record 5.5m fine by the Premier League, they were not docked points and subsequently avoided relegation at the Blades' expense.

Aldridge is a close friend of new Owls chairman Milan Mandaric and helped finalise his 10m takeover deal at Hillsborough last month.

The pair worked together at Leicester City in 2008 before Aldridge quit to spend 12 months serving as chief operating officer at Manchester City.

In recent weeks, Aldridge has sat alongside Mandaric at games against Huddersfield Town and Bristol City.

Although the Owls have yet to confirm his appointment in an official capacity, they announced the imminent departure of chief executive Nick Parker last night.

A statement on the club's official website said: "Nick Parker has been given notice of termination by Sheffield Wednesday Football Club.

"For the time being, he remains employed albeit he will not be carrying out any duties for the club. The club would like to thank Nick and recognise his contribution to the business during his time here at SWFC. The terms of his departure are being dealt with on a professional and cordial basis."

Parker, former chief financial officer of the Dyson Group Plc, took over as chief executive of the Owls in January 2009 and played a key role in the search for new investment and the battle to avoid administration.

Mandaric's takeover transformed the club's financial situation overnight and manager Alan Irvine was given the green light to sign six new players during the New Year transfer window.

Defenders Michael Morrison and Reda Johnson have already arrived but Irvine has not ruled out the possibility of further additions before tomorrow's home game against League One promotion rivals Charlton Athletic.

"You never say never. We are working away, and you never quite know when things might happen," he said. "We are short in terms of numbers up front and really it's wherever else we think we can get players to improve our team and our squad."

Irvine described his newly-acquired strength in the transfer market as 'fantastic' but admitted that he was still getting used to the situation after working on limited resources until now as both a coach and a manager.

"At Preston (as manager), we didn't have the money to do that kind of work," he said. "When I was at Everton (as coach), we never really had the money to do it either albeit on a different scale.

"It's a fantastic situation but I could have done with the window being a little bit further away than it actually was when the takeover took place because we don't have a scouting structure.

"That means all the work has fallen on me, Milan, Paul Aldridge and the staff. We really are having to burn the candle at both ends in order to try and get as much information as we can about players who could be possible targets."

Talks with Motherwell over defender Mark Reynolds have stalled according to Irvine, while Brighton and Hove Albion have shown a reluctance to part company with striker Glenn Murray.

Irvine dismissed talk of a move for veteran Birmingham City striker Kevin Phillips and, commenting on speculation linking the Owls with a move for former Sheffield United midfielder Michael Tonge (now at Stoke City), said: "I had Michael at Preston and he did a good job for us. He is a good footballer and people in Sheffield know a lot about him but I have not made any enquiries."

Irvine also stressed that there was no pressure to sell players.