Keegan: Final decision on who does or does not sign for Newcastle rests with me

Both men have drawn up their hit lists, with Keegan naming three players for each position, even though he expects to sign a maximum of five players.

Wise has identified players from Europe and South America after weeks scouring the globe with fellow director Tony Jimenez.

But while the pair's new partnership will be put to the test over the coming months, Keegan insists he will have the final say on who owner Mike Ashley buys, saying: "Dennis and Tony are not there to say: 'We've got to sign this player'.

"They're there to say: 'You should go and look at this player'— and that's how it's working.

"They've already put names forward but, until we see them, they won't come into this football club. If we think like Dennis and Tony do when we see them, we'd love to have them at Newcastle.

"If they bring players in and they're not my players I wouldn't be managing this football club.

"Dennis and I talk a lot. We had a meeting two weeks ago, took our list in and they put theirs down. They have a massive database of all parts of Europe and South America.

"I'm less keen on South American players coming into this country, that doesn't mean we won't get any but it's a big move for them.

"I would prefer to sign players with Premier League experience. I think there is probably a balance between the two.

"As far as their list goes, we'll be flying off over the next three or four weeks looking at the players we don't know. We know their names but there are one or two on the list from Dennis that I haven't seen play.

"We're going to work together. We've got no reason not to. Nothing that Dennis is doing at this club is in any way detrimental to me doing my job.

"We're all looking at the same players and, if we're competing with the top four, I wouldn't be confident because they can offer more than we can in terms of Champions League football and the top four places are almost guaranteed to these clubs.

"But they cannot collect all the pebbles on the beach and, if they're not interested, I would back us against anyone."

Newcastle travel to West Ham today with a slight doubt over defender Abdoulaye Faye, while striker Mark Viduka, who has been struggling with a mild achilles problem, is delaying treatment until the end of the season.

Midfielder Emre is also ready to return to the squad and is keen to be fit for Turkey's Euro 2008 Finals campaign.

Keegan said: "A lot of people say Emre has been unsettled but I don't see an unsettled player here.

"I see a player who is obviously very keen to play in Euro 2008, which he will for Turkey, and, if he doesn't play in the next two weeks, I'll let him go a week early to their training camp.

"I don't want to keep him around here if he's not going to be involved and, with the way the team are playing, that may be the case.

"We have four African players playing four World Cup games between June 1-21 so we need to decide how much of a summer break we give them."

Newcastle have taken 14 points from a six-game unbeaten run, but West Ham boss Alan Curbishley is determined his critics will not drive him out and will be looking for a good display today to help stem the tide of criticism.

Curbishley was shaken by the abuse he received after the 2-1 home win over an already relegated Derby last Saturday, despite stopping the rot of three straight defeats.

Even when he thought everyone would understand why he took off 18-year-old striker Freddie Sears on his full debut, because he had run out of steam, some fans chanted: "You don't know what you're doing."

Substitute Carlton Cole hit the winner, but the jeers still rang out at the end. Curbishley said: "I've not been subjected before to what happened on Saturday, winning 2-1 at home and getting booed.

"I've got to get on with it. It's not going to stop me wanting to be as successful as I can be."