Alan Pardew believes Paolo Di Canio played a comparable role to Eric Cantona in altering the mindset of British players and helping change the domestic game beyond recognition.

"I loved Di Canio as a player," said Newcastle United's manager as he prepared to welcome his new Sunderland counterpart to St James' Park on Sunday. "At West Ham and Celtic Paolo did what Cantona did at Manchester United. I just missed Paolo when I managed West Ham but I know that he was out working on the training ground long after the British players had gone."

Pardew predicts that Martin O'Neill's successor will be a big hit at the Stadium of Light. "I expect Paolo to be a success – and I hope he's a success for Sunderland. I 100% hope they stay in the Premier League."

Nonetheless, Pardew intends to deepen Di Canio's relegation worries while relieving his own lingering fears of Championship football. "I genuinely think we have a squad that is stronger than Sunderland's," he said. "But we need to prove it."

Hatem Ben Arfa, Newcastle's outstanding creator, has recovered from a long-standing hamstring injury and, though not fit to start, he will be used as a substitute. Ben Arfa can expect a warmer than usual reception from home fans who will be delighted to learn that, though Liverpool covet him, he has said he is "very happy" to remain on Tyneside next season.

"I want to stay here," said the France international. "It is only journalists who talk about that [Liverpool]. My agent has not talked to me about that. I am focusing 100% on Newcastle."

Di Canio aims to place Sunderland on at least a level footing with Newcastle. "Not now but in the future," he said. "Our plan is amazing but, first, we have to make sure we stay up. Newcastle is a massive club but Sunderland is a massive club too. We can have crowds of 50,000, the facilities are amazing. This should be a healthy club."

The Italian has his own ideas why Sunderland are under-achieving in the wake of some heavyweight financial investment, with more than £30m spent on players in the past two transfer windows. "This club has spent money," he said. "It's not just spent £1m, it's spent [serious] money and it's not acceptable. If we stay up, we will plan for the future with the right organisation and the right policy. If we stay up, lots of things will change."

He is determined to lead the revolution. "If it doesn't work, people will say 'Di Canio is a donkey, bye, bye,'" he said. "But I will work to show people that Di Canio is a stallion."

With Sunderland out of the bottom three on goal difference he believes QPR and Reading are already destined for the Championship and that the race to avoid the remaining relegation place is between Wigan, Sunderland, Aston Villa and Stoke. "Anything can happen but it may take a miracle for QPR and Reading now," he said before answering questions about the striking diamond pattern jumper he wore for his touchline debut at Chelsea last week. "It comes from my shop," said Di Canio. "I have had a clothes shop in Italy for 23 years. It's Italian but English style."

Should Sunderland survive, the club shop could probably make a small fortune selling replicas.