Premier League clubs spent £272MILLION on agents’ fees in 2021-22

Premier League clubs paid agents over £272million between February 2021 and January 2022, official FA figures have revealed.

The figure is almost exactly the same as the previous year’s, with fees paid to agents and intermediaries going up from £272,220,223 to £272,559,227, a difference of just over £300,000. 

Manchester City have usurped Chelsea as the league’s biggest spenders on agent fees, spending over £35m thanks in large part to the British record £100m signing of Jack Grealish from Aston Villa last summer. The England star’s agent is Jonathan Barnett. 

City also renewed the contracts of several key players, including Kevin De Bruyne.

Manchester City completed the British record signing of Jack Grealish for £100m from Villa

Manchester United are the second-biggest spenders, having forked out over £29m to agents in a year in which they signed Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane.

Chelsea come in third, spending just over £28m – a large chunk of which went to Romelu Lukaku’s agent Mino Raiola after the striker’s £98m move from Inter Milan.

The Blues had spent £35m on agents’ fees in the previous year after splashing out £222m on new players in the summer of 2020. 

Manchester United spent big money last summer on Jadon Sancho (L) and Raphael Varane (R)

At the other end of the table, Brentford fans will be pleased to see they have spent just £3.5m on agents’ fees in the last year, which would represent fine business if they manage to stay up. The Bees are currently 15th and eight points clear of the relegation zone.

Watford fans will be furious to find out they spent £12.6m on agents’ fees in the last year – placing them seventh overall and behind only the Big Six – only to find themselves languishing in the drop zone. 

Everton, too, appear to have paid over the odds on agents’ fees, with the Toffees 10th in terms of money spent but 17th in the table that matters.

Newcastle spent just £7.7m on agents’ fees but can expect to see that figure sky-rocket after their £94m January spending spree and with more new arrivals expected in the summer.