bbc.co.uk

Chelsea lead Premier League's record £460m spend on agent fees

Joao Pedro talks to Estevao during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford BridgeGetty Images

Dale Johnson

Football issues correspondent

Premier League clubs made payments of £460m to agents over the past year - a 13% increase on the previous 12 months.

It covers payments made by clubs to agents registered with the Football Association involving a player, coach or club - including transfer and contracts - between February 2025 and February 2026.

Chelsea, who paid out £65.1m, were the highest spenders for the third consecutive year.

On Wednesday, the west London club announced the biggest pre-tax loss in Premier League history. The £262m deficit for 2024-25 eclipses the £197.5m lost by Manchester City in 2011.

The Blues partly attribute this year's figure to recording the highest number of player sales in Premier League history.

Chelsea offloaded nearly £300m worth of players to comply with Uefa sanctions.

After record payments of £75m to agents in 2023-24, the club have spent a total of £200m over the past three assessment years.

Aston Villa were second on the list, paying £38.4m, which was an increase of £13.4m - the highest rise of any club.

This is despite the Villans spending a relatively modest £69m on incoming transfers. Unai Emery's side had a high number of costs associated with renegotiating player contracts and new professional registrations.

In third were Manchester City with £37.4m, though year-on-year spending fell dramatically - down by £14.8m from £52.1m.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Wolves also saw significant increases in agents fees.

The Gunners' payments went up £9.4m to £32.1m. Liverpool's rose £13m to £33.9m. Wolves saw an increase of £12.5m to £26m.

Sunderland's unexpected promotion to the Premier League through the play-offs brought a rise in payments from just £2.2m to £10.6m.

Alongside Manchester City, seven other clubs reduced payments to agents.

Brentford, Fulham, Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and West Ham saw modest drops.

Newcastle's payments were reduced by £4.1m to £20.3m, while Leeds - despite being promoted - cut outgoings on agents' fees by £4.9m to £14m.

Spending in the Women's Super League rose 75%, by £1.6m to £3.8m.

Chelsea were again the biggest spenders, with their £1.1m accounting for over a quarter of the total.

Payments went up by 10% in the Championship to £69.7m, with Ipswich Town the highest spenders on £11.7m.

Agents fees in League One soared by 85%, influenced by the presence of Luton Town (£3.3m), Cardiff City (£1.7m) and Huddersfield Town (£1.5m), who accounted for close to half of the £14m total.

In League Two, the amount fell slightly by 5% to £2.6m.