Premier League Clubs Drive Agent Fee Surge

Premier League Drives Surge as English Clubs Spend Over £550m on Agent Fees

English football clubs paid a combined £547.8 million to agents over the past year, according to figures released by The Football Association, with the Premier League responsible for the vast majority of the outlay.

The data, covering the period from February 4, 2025 to February 2, 2026, highlights the growing financial influence of intermediaries across the game, with top-flight clubs alone accounting for £460.3 million, an increase of 13% on the previous year.

Chelsea Top Spending Charts

Among Premier League clubs, Chelsea FC recorded the highest agent expenditure at £65.1 million, underlining the club’s continued aggressive recruitment strategy. They were followed by Aston Villa FC (£38.4m), Manchester City FC (£37.4m), Liverpool FC (£33.9m), and Arsenal FC (£32.1m).

Other notable spenders included Manchester United FC (£31.8m) and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (£26.0m), while clubs such as Burnley FC (£7.4m) and Everton FC (£10.0m) spent comparatively less.

Sharp Rise Across the Pyramid

Spending on agents rose across most divisions of the English game. The EFL Championship saw a 10% increase to £69.7 million, with Ipswich Town FC leading the way at £11.7 million.

The most dramatic growth came in EFL League One, where fees surged by 85% year-on-year to £14.0 million. Luton Town FC topped that division with £3.33 million in payments.

By contrast, spending in EFL League Two fell slightly by 5% to £2.6 million, suggesting a plateau at the lower end of the professional pyramid. The National League and below accounted for just £1.17 million in total.

Women’s Game Sees Rapid Growth

Agent fees in the women’s game, while significantly lower in absolute terms, are rising at a far quicker rate. Clubs in the Women's Super League paid £3.8 million, up 75% from the previous year, while the Women's Super League 2 recorded an 85% increase to £528,778.

Chelsea FC Women were the biggest spenders in the WSL at £1.08 million, followed by Manchester City Women FC (£509,517) and London City Lionesses (£466,981).

Growing Scrutiny

The figures underline the continued escalation of agent-related costs in football, particularly at the elite level, where transfer activity and player contract negotiations remain intense.

While the FA publishes the data in the interest of transparency, it also noted that payments may relate to transactions from previous reporting periods and may not directly correspond to deals completed within the year.

Nevertheless, the steady rise in fees, especially the sharp increases in the lower leagues and women’s game, are likely to fuel ongoing debate about the role and regulation of agents in modern football.

_{Featured Image Credit: Unsplash / Glen Carrie}