West Ham United have dismissed as “wholly without foundation” Kia Joorabchian’s claim that the club entered into a secret agreement to ensure that Carlos Tévez could play in the final three league matches of last season.

Joorabchian, the player’s representative, has made a £7.1 million compensation claim against West Ham. In documents filed at the High Court, Joorabchian says that West Ham asked him to broker an agreement with the two companies that owned the economic rights to Tévez.

He also claims that the club broke Premier League rules by allowing the Argentinian to be paid by a third party and that he is owed £2 million relating to Tévez’s transfer to Manchester United last summer.

But West Ham issued a strongly worded denial of the accusations yesterday. The club said: “West Ham United totally refutes all of the allegations made against officials of the club by Kia Joorabchian. Those allegations, and the financial claims which accompany them, are wholly without foundation. Mr Joorabchian appears to be confusing demands that he has made on the club with the notion that they were ever agreed. No agreements of the kind alleged were ever concluded.”

Joorabchian’s £7.1 million claim is made up of two amounts. A sum of £4.5 million relates to his alleged role in securing an agreement between West Ham and Media Sports Investments and Just Sports Inc, the two companies that owned Tévez’s economic rights, which allowed the player to turn out in the last three games of the 2006-07 season. The forward’s performances helped to keep West Ham in the top flight. His appearances had been in doubt because of a contract dispute. The £2.6 million claim relates to a £2 million payment he claims to have paid the club, which he says they agreed to repay, in order to allow the player to go to Manchester United, as well as legal costs.

West Ham said that they did not reach any agreement with Joorabchian, because talks on Tévez’s future were unsuccessful. The club added: “Mr Joorabchian has omitted to recognise that a full settlement with West Ham was concluded when he agreed to settle all outstanding claims against the club . . . in August of last year.”