Exclusive: West Ham paying controversial agent Kia Joorabchian £2million a year to act as transfer consultant

West Ham have a consultancy agreement with Kia Joorabchian that will see the controversial Iranian businessman paid more than £2million.

West Ham's desperation to avoid being sued by Joorabchian over the Carlos Tevez fiasco saw them draw up a contract that enables him to cash in every time he is involved in a transfer.

Joorabchian's duties include advising the Hammers on players, scouting and arranging friendly matches.

It's an agreement that will infuriate West Ham fans still coming to terms with the news that they could be faced with a £30m bill after a tribunal ruled that Sheffield United should be compensated for their relegation from the Premier League in 2007 in the aftermath of the Tevez scandal.

Joorabchian arranged for Tevez and Javier Mascherano to join West Ham in August 2006.

West Ham broke Premier League registration rules on third-party interference because Joorabchian retained the power to transfer either player at any time during their long-term contracts.

However, when Joorabchian signed the players it was not contrary to regulations. It was West Ham's error in failing to make the contracts known that provoked the long-running legal issue.

The discrepancy came to light when Mascherano left West Ham for Liverpool in January 2007.

But West Ham failed to alter Tevez's contract until ordered to do so by the Premier League. By then the East London outfit were embroiled in a relegation fight.

With just three games of the 2006-07 season remaining, Joorabchian threatened to take out an injunction to prevent Tevez playing against Wigan, Bolton and Manchester United.

He eventually decided against this course of action after meetings with West Ham chief executive Scott Duxbury and chairman Eggert Magnusson left him confident that he would be compensated by the club. Joorabchian initially believed he would receive a multimillion-pound pay-off for the unilateral breaking of Tevez's contract by the Hammers.

When no money was forthcoming he instigated legal proceedings that were eventually settled out of court when Joorabchian was handed a consultancy package that will be worth more than £2m to him.

Tevez scored goals against both Wigan and United to save the Hammers and relegate Sheffield United.

The Argentine moved to Old Trafford that summer on a loan deal - and will become a permanent signing if Manchester United pay £32m.

Yet Tevez and Mascherano were offered to United, Chelsea and Liverpool at a fraction of their current values before Joorabchian placed them at Upton Park.

All three clubs felt that neither player had the quality to excel in England - even though Jose Mourinho used Roman Abramovich's private jet to run a personal check on Tevez when he played for Brazilian club Corinthians.