West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola has been given assurances by the club he will be able to sign players during the January transfer window if he wants.

The Hammers may have to pay Sheffield United more than £30million in compensation after an independent tribunal ruling against them in the Carlos Tevez case.

But Zola told BBC Sport: "I've been assured by West Ham chief executive Scott Duxbury it will not be a problem.

"It will not affect us if we want to do changes in January."