During the 12-month period leading up to February 2024, Chelsea disbursed over £75 million to football agents and intermediaries, as part of the Premier League clubs’ combined expenditure of £409.5 million.
According to data released by the Football Association, Manchester City’s agent fees exceeded £60 million.
These figures may encompass transactions initiated before the reporting period began in February 2023.
Chelsea (£75.1 million) and Manchester City (£60.6 million) significantly surpassed their Premier League counterparts in agent expenditure, with Manchester United ranking third at £34 million, which is less than half of Chelsea’s total.
This comes after Chelsea’s transfer and loan fee spending surpassed £1 billion since Todd Boehly assumed ownership of the club in the summer of 2022. Notable among these deals is the signing of midfielder Moises Caicedo, which could reach a British record £115 million.
Liverpool (£31.5 million), Arsenal (£24.7 million), and Aston Villa (£21.1 million) all surpassed the £20 million mark in agent fees, with Tottenham (£19.7 million) and Newcastle United (£18.8 million) closely trailing behind.
Luton Town recorded the lowest expenditure among Premier League clubs, with a payout of £2 million. Conversely, last season’s relegated top-flight teams Leeds United (£13.2 million), Leicester City (£8.1 million), and Southampton (£7.5 million) incurred the highest costs among current Championship sides.
In total, Championship clubs collectively spent £61.3 million, while League One saw a combined outlay of £5.1 million. Among League One clubs, Derby County topped the spending list with £434,465.
Wrexham, owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, led spending in League Two, disbursing £347,027 to agents and intermediaries. Overall, payments by current League Two clubs totaled £2.4 million.
Forest Green Rovers (£266,191) were the only fourth-tier club to spend more than half of Wrexham’s expenditure among their League Two counterparts.
| Premier League club | Net total paid to agents/intermediaries |
|---|---|
| 1 – Chelsea | £75,140,524 |
| 2 – Manchester City | £60,626,025 |
| 3 – Manchester United | £34,054,001 |
| 4 – Liverpool | £31,500,211 |
| 5 – Arsenal | £24,760,875 |
| 6 – Aston Villa | £21,160,122 |
| 7 – Tottenham | £19,731,099 |
| 8 – Newcastle | £18,881,923 |
| 9 – Bournemouth | £15,999,925 |
| 10 – West Ham | £13,880,365 |
| 11 – Wolves | £13,392,541 |
| 12 – Nottingham Forest | £13,063,455 |
| 13 – Fulham | £12,062,906 |
| 14 – Brighton | £11,393,102 |
| 15 – Crystal Palace | £11,082,430 |
| 16 – Everton | £10,623,224 |
| 17 – Brentford | £8,147,957 |
| 18 – Burnley | £6,944,589 |
| 19 – Sheffield United | £5,127,509 |
| 20 – Luton Town | £2,020,146 |