SOCCER: West Ham tonight insisted it was time to draw a line under the Carlos Tevez saga but, after paying out twice already, the club could still face further compensation claims. The London club and Sheffield United brokered a settlement to end the dispute between the clubs yesterday, which is thought to have been in the region of €10-€20million in favour of the South Yorkshire side.

The Blades sought compensation after their relegation to the Coca-Cola Championship in 2007, which they believe would have been West Ham’s fate if not for the goals scored by Tevez, and an independent panel chaired by Lord Griffiths favoured them in its initial findings.

Argentina striker Tevez, now with Manchester United, moved to Upton Park at the start of the 2006/07 season with compatriot Javier Mascherano but the club were later fined #5.5million by the Premier League for failing to fully disclose the terms of the deal which brought the pair to England.

Sheffield United continued to pursue a private damages claim, and it has now emerged their former manager Neil Warnock and a group of Blades players are considering bringing new cases against the Hammers.

West Ham tonight issued a statement saying they will do everything they can to prevent “legal anarchy”.

On their website, West Ham said: “Despite the extensive media coverage, West Ham United have received no formal legal claims from Sheffield United players or their previous manager relating to the so-called Tevez affair.

“The club have settled the matter of compensation, as ruled upon by Lord Griffiths, with Sheffield United and can see no basis for claims being brought outside of the arbitration process, established by the Football Association, which has now been brought to a close.

“However, it is now becoming clear that the ruling by Lord Griffiths has encouraged a potentially endless legal chain of claims and counter claims, which can only be damaging to English football.

“As a club we will strongly resist any attempts to prolong this matter through the courts both to protect our interests and those of the wider game.

“There is a lot more at stake than the finances of West Ham United and we will do all we can to stop this matter ending in a form of legal anarchy.”

Having already agreed to pay substantial money to Sheffield United, West Ham are understandably keen to avoid any further major pay-outs or legal expense.

However Warnock, who resigned from his Bramall Lane post three days after the club’s relegation, is exploring the possibility of taking court action.

“I know the players are looking again and I’ll be seeking legal advice myself but at the moment I’m not going to say any more than that,” Warnock told Sky Sports News.

“I’ve been in touch with the legal people. We’ve been adamant right from day one that if the rules had been adhered to we wouldn’t have been relegated.”

Warnock believes the Blades could have established themselves as a Premier League team had it not been for the Tevez saga.

He said: “We had high hopes of taking the club forward by our first summer, spending the money to keep up there like one or two other clubs have done in the past.”

Players would have expected to have been paid bonuses for keeping the Blades in the Premier League and figures reported suggest they could claim for around €5million.

A joint investigation by the Premier League and Football Association into the Tevez and Mascherano signings is ongoing.