WHAT HAPPENED? In the last two transfer windows, English clubs have outspent the rest of Europe by a long way. But one element of the transfer market we don't often get an insight into is the role of agents. , that's changed with the release of new figures outlining how much each Premier League club has spent on agent fees since February 2022. And despite Chelsea's dramatic splashing of cash in the past two windows, the Blues aren't top of the list. The club that has spent the most on agent fees in the last year is Manchester City.

Club Net total paid to agents/intermediaries (£)
1 Manchester City 51,563,571
2 Chelsea 43,160,072
3 Liverpool 33,691,782
4 Manchester United 24,726,374
5 Arsenal 16,749,072
6 Tottenham Hotspur 16,137,103
7 Aston Villa 15,623,203
8 Leeds United 15,310,814
9 Everton 13,542,845
10 West Ham United 12,030,438
11 Newcastle United 10,784,029
12 Leicester City 10,282,967
13 Crystal Palace 9,796,296
14 Fulham 8,758,854
15 Brighton & Hove Albion 8,583,317
16 Southampton 6,319,675
17 Wolverhampton Wanderers 6,186,765
18 Brentford 5,560,192
19 AFC Bournemouth 5,058,871
20 Nottingham Forest. 4,353,186

THE BIGGER PICTURE: The huge role played by agents in modern football is a point of contention for many within the game, but it's something that's unlikely to change any time soon. This data details just how much money English clubs are spending on agent fees; according to the figures, last season's champions Manchester City spent a net total of over £51m on agent fees in the last year, closely followed by Chelsea's £43m. The smallest Premier League outlay came from Nottingham Forest, who spent 4,353,186 — given that the club have signed 30 players since getting promoted from the Championship last season, this might come as a surprise!