Source: Daily_Mail
West Ham agree to pay Sheffield United £25m to settle the Carlos Tevez affair
West Ham[LNB]have agreed to pay Sheffield United more than £25million in compensation to bring an end to the Carlos Tevez affair, the real figures only emerging yesterday after initial reports had suggested a considerably smaller sum. [LNB]Audition: Carlos Tevez scores for West Ham against Manchester United in May 2007[LNB]Sportsmail now understands that the troubled east London side will pay the Championship club in the form of a bond over the next four years.The news will come as a shock to West Ham supporters who no doubt thought their club had escaped potential disaster, given Sheffield United's original claim of £45m for their relegation from the Barclays Premier League in May 2007.But West Ham were in no real position to negotiate a far less expensive deal when an independent FA arbitration panel, chaired by Lord Griffiths, were so supportive of Sheffield United in their claim.[LNB] Hammers hit by Collison blow as Wales midfielder is ruled out for seven weeks[LNB]West Ham lose Behrami for six months with cruciate ligament injury[LNB]Gold reserves! Sportsmail's guide to the most expensive second-teamers[LNB]WEST HAM UNITED FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE NET[LNB][LNB]Not only did the panel find that West Ham were guilty of a serious breach of Premier League regulations, but they also concluded that, in scoring vital goals towards the end of the season for the Hammers, Tevez had indeed had a decisive effect on Sheffield United's fate. While the settlement figure has not yet been signed off by West Ham's five controlling banks, the agreement comes a few days before Lord Griffiths and the panel were due to meet to discuss the compensation.[LNB] Down and out: Sheffield United's players after being relegated[LNB]West Ham see this as concluding the saga even though the joint FA and Premier League inquiry into the comments of Lord Griffiths has not yet finished. West Ham's debt already stood somewhere between £45m and £50m, and the £25m bond will now have to be taken into consideration by any buyer. There is believed to be one serious potential purchaser,but yesterday the price for buying the club was thought to be in the region of £100m, almost half what owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson would want. [LNB] Hammers hit by Collison blow as Wales midfielder is ruled out for seven weeks[LNB]West Ham lose Behrami for six months with cruciate ligament injury[LNB]Gold reserves! Sportsmail's guide to the most expensive second-teamers[LNB]WEST HAM UNITED FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE NET[LNB][LNB] [LNB]
