The English FA has announced their annual audit of intermediary fees in English football’s premier league and other various divisions.
Between February 2, 2021, and January 31, 2022, all competing Premier League teams paid a total of £272.5 million for intermediaries and agents.
Agent fees can be levied for a range of services, the most notable being their engagement in contract or transfer discussions.
Manchester City has spent the most money on agents and intermediaries this season, with a total of £35 million. Last summer, England international Jack Grealish joined the Blues‘ star-studded roster as a new arrival.
Pep Guardiola has helped in bringing success to the Etihad Stadium with the huge expenditure on incoming transfers, helping his cause. In 2021, City won the Premier League for the third time in four seasons.
City outspent their opponents, with a £6 million gap between them and the nearest contenders, Manchester United (£29 million). According to FA records, Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea ranked third with a massive £28 million, with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool making up the top four.
Manchester United has paid the second-highest agent/intermediary fees in the Premier League, incurring a total of £29,036,141 between February 2, 2021, and January 31, this year. At the beginning of the 2021/22 season, United signed Tom Heaton, Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
United was anticipated to fight for the Premier League, having completed such high-profile deals, but it’s been a poor season by United’s standards, as in recent seasons.
United’s odds of qualifying for the Champions League appear to be fading, which might affect the quality of players they acquire in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Chelsea paid the agents the third-highest commission. According to the records, Chelsea paid nearly £28.2 million in fees.
While the reigning European champions have not had a lively transfer window in the previous 12 months, with just three players have arrived at Stamford Bridge in the summer.
The Blues were forced to pay hefty transfer fees following the arrival of Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, a club record.
Several new contract extensions were also signed during the period, including new deals for Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah, and Emerson Palmieri.
In the previous two transfer windows, Liverpool spent nearly £22 million on intermediaries. Liverpool only signed two first-team players during that time, with Luis Diaz joining from Portuguese club Porto in a winter deal worth nearly £50 million, and Ibrahima Konate joining from RB Leipzig for £36 million last year.
The flurry of first-team contracts signed last summer involving important players like Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker, Fabinho, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Henderson, and Andy Robertson are projected to boost Liverpool’s Intermediary commission.
Fabio Paratici, Tottenham’s new sporting director, arrived in north London last summer and has since racked up significant agent’s fees after a slew of transactions.
Over the last 12 months, Tottenham Hotspur has spent £13.9 million on players’ agents. Since February 2021, the North Londoners have spent £13.9 million, a figure that has most evidently escalated owing to the number of moves made at the club. Emerson Royal, Cristian Romero, Bryan Gil, and Rodrigo Bentancur, among others, have all contributed to the numbers.
Meanwhile, Brentford’s London rivals have spent just under £3.5 million on agents’ fees over the last year, a figure that is significantly less than that paid by a slew of Championship clubs near the bottom.
The above data underlined the Premier League’s leverage, with all 24 Championship clubs contributing a modest £44 million to agents and intermediaries. On the other hand, League One and League Two teams, spent £4.4 million and £1.25 million, respectively.
