West Ham have agreed to pay 15+ Million Pound to Sheffield United, bypassing the initial 45 Million Pound Compesation Claim they wanted after it was acknowledged that Carlos Tevez influenced their 2006 / 07 Premiership Relegation after the Argentina International scored the winner against Manchester United on the last day of the season, as his signing was in breach of the Premiership’s third party ownership rules.

Via DailyMail 

The club, who already have severe financial pressures, hammered out a deal in exchange for the Championship club withdrawing all complaints against them.

The Blades were claiming £45m compensation for being relegated, arguing that Tevez, who kept West Ham up with some outstanding performances in key matches, had no right to be playing because his deal at the club was in breach of Premier League third-party rules.

The exact fee to be announced today has been negotiated between West Ham’s chief executive Scott Duxbury and Sheffield United chairman Kevin McCabe.

It is said to be between £10m-£15m but McCabe will push for the higher figure as it is still £30m short of their original compensation claim.

A court case, ending in victory for Sheffield United, would have meant the Hammers having to sell their best players so the deal is considered a successful conclusion.

Crucially for West Ham, the money will be paid in instalments over five years which will ease the financial burden at Upton Park, where Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke are enjoying success on the field despite worries about the future of club with the parent company facing acute money difficulties in Iceland.

Image via ItsFootball