ALAN PARDEW has claimed Andy Carroll is as important to Newcastle United as Carlos Tevez is to Sunday’s opponents Manchester City, and expressed his confidence that the striker will not be leaving Tyneside next month.

Pardew knows all about Tevez, having managed the Argentinian at West Ham following his controversial transfer from South America, and while Carroll is at a more formative stage of his development, the Newcastle manager can see similarities.

The pair are both attacking figure heads, whose commitment and work rate lift team-mates and supporters alike.

Crucially, they are also both set to remain with their current employers during January’s transfer window.

“In this window, Andy Carroll is definitely going nowhere,” said Pardew.

“I’m quite confident of that. The situations are different, but at the moment, I would say Andy is as important to this football club as Carlos is to Manchester City.

“Carlos is a more experienced player and he offers great enthusiasm in the dressing room. His work rate binds players, coaching staff and fans together. There’s nothing better than a team-mate who does that. Andy also works really hard for the team and is a central point for the way we play and score goals. From that point of view, they are similar.”

Pardew’s confidence that Carroll will not be sold next month is instructive, as the Londoner is understood to have demanded cast-iron guarantees about the England international when he met chief executive Derek Llambias to discuss his appointment in the North- East.

It is dangerous to rule anything out when it comes to the whims of Mike Ashley, but it would nevertheless be a huge surprise to Pardew as much as anyone else if the Newcastle owner was to renege on his promises next month.

With Carroll’s short-term future seemingly secured, attention now turns to Steven Taylor’s contractual situation, with Pardew keen to see the current impasse resolved before the transfer window reopens on January 1.

As he is due to become a free agent in the summer, Taylor will be free to speak to prospective employers from a week on Saturday if a new deal cannot be agreed.

Wages are the sticking point, with the defender, who was due to have started last weekend’s postponed game at Birmingham alongside Fabricio Coloccini, holding out for more than Newcastle officials have offered.

Pardew is due to meet both the player and his representatives ahead of Sunday’s game at St James’, and remains hopeful that an agreement can be reached.

“I’m due to speak to Steven Taylor’s agent shortly to try to convince him and the player that this is the club to stay at,” said the Magpies manager. “The signs Steven has shown suggest he wants to stay, but of course the financial package needs to be right for us and for Steven.

“That’s what we will be discussing. He’s a local boy from this city and he’s still got a lot of learning to do, but I think we can help him with that. ”

Joey Barton and Jose Enrique will enter the final 18 months of their contract at the turn of the year, but while Pardew is mindful of an increased need to address the duo’s situation, detailed talks are not expected to take place until the summer.

As well as monitoring the contractual status of the current squad, Pardew has also been pondering possible additions since replacing Chris Hughton at the start of the month.

Major signings are unlikely, but having identified a handful of weak areas, a couple of arrivals could help provide cover and increase squad strength. Left-back is an area of concern given the lack of alternatives to Enrique, while a new striker is also a priority.

“There could be a couple of players coming in, but this isn’t really a month where we want anything to happen,”

said Pardew, who will not be appointing Watford boss Malky Mackay as his number two despite speculation about the position.

“Maybe we could do with one or two players arriving, but that’s more about boosting us a bit in terms of the squad rather than the first team.

“I think we look a little bit bare in certain areas. That would worry me if we got injuries. As much as the group underneath the first team are good players, some of them have not had a lot of Premier League experience.”

Shola Ameobi and Sol Campbell are both major doubts for Sunday’s game, with Carroll expected to start as a lone centre-forward.