The FA have announced that Premier League clubs paid £460million in agent fees over a 12-month period until February 2 this year. Chelsea topped the list with an eye-watering £65,102,257.
The Blues have become renowned for overhauling their squad in summer transfer windows. This saw the likes of Joao Pedro, Alejandro Garnacho and Estevao arrive at Stamford Bridge at the start of the season but Chelsea also paid significantly more to agents than their Premier League rivals.
League leaders Arsenal added Eberechi Eze, Viktor Gyokeres and several other stars to Mikel Arteta’s squad. However, the Gunners paid significantly less to registered representatives than Chelsea, with Arsenal’s total standing at £32,149,359., according to agent fee data released by The FA.
Arsenal remain in contention for three major trophies but ranked fifth in terms of agent fees. Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur spent the eighth-most, paying £21,384,701.
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This trio of clubs demonstrate that agent fees do not necessarily correlate with a team’s league position or transfer spend. Liverpool oversaw a high-profile summer window as Arne Slot’s side twice broke the British transfer record.
Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz were two of the marquee signings made by the reigning Premier League champions. However, Liverpool paid £33,881,544 to agents in total, putting them fourth among top-flight teams.
While the figure is comparable with Arsenal’s spend, it further highlights Chelsea as an outlier. On the pitch, Liverpool’s recruitment led to a decline from last season, with Slot’s team quickly falling out of the title race.
Aston Villa sit second behind Chelsea after paying £38,444,289 to agents. This is despite Unai Emery’s only major permanent summer signing being Evann Guessand, with Tammy Abraham arriving in the January window.
The financial data also accounts for payment agreements that were entered into before the reporting periods, which could explain Villa’s high ranking. The Villans spent marginally more than Manchester City’s £37,358,301.
Pep Guardiola’s side spent marginally more than title rivals Arsenal and Liverpool. However, it is considerably higher than Spurs’ agent outlay.
Aside from the aforementioned five clubs, the FA details that Manchester United (£31,777,462) and Wolves (£25,960,372) also spent more than Spurs. The latter is remarkable, given that the club is bottom of the league and 13 points adrift of safety.
However, Spurs have also found themselves mired in a relegation battle after parting ways with two managers this season. Based on the current league table, Everton represent one of the biggest anomalies, having paid the second-last to agents (£9,990,935) and being in contention for European football.
