Chelsea FC have once again topped the Premier League’s agent spending table, paying out £65.1m over the past year as overall fees across the division climbed to £460m.
The figures, covering the period between February 2025 and February 2026, represent a 13% increase on the previous year and include payments made to agents for transfers, contracts and other football-related deals involving players, coaches and clubs.
As reported by BBC Sport on Wednesday, Chelsea’s latest outlay marks the third consecutive year they have led the league in agent fees, bringing their total spending over the last three reporting periods to around £200m.
The high expenditure comes during a period of significant financial movement at Stamford Bridge, with the club recently announcing a record pre-tax loss of £262m, the largest in Premier League history.
The club has partly attributed those losses to an aggressive transfer strategy, which included offloading close to £300m worth of players in an effort to comply with UEFA financial regulations, while continuing to invest heavily in squad restructuring.
Aston Villa FC ranked second, spending £38.4m on agents, an increase of £13.4m, the biggest rise among all top-flight clubs.
Despite relatively modest transfer spending, Villa’s higher costs were driven by contract renegotiations and new player registrations under manager Unai Emery.
In third place, Manchester City FC paid £37.4m, although their spending dropped significantly from £52.1m the previous year.
Elsewhere, several clubs recorded notable increases.
Arsenal FC saw their payments rise to £32.1m, while Liverpool FC spent £33.9m after a £13m increase. Wolverhampton Wanderers FC also posted a sharp rise, reaching £26m.
Newly promoted Sunderland AFC experienced one of the biggest jumps, with agent fees increasing from £2.2m to £10.6m as they strengthened their squad following promotion via the play-offs.
However, not all clubs increased their spending. Newcastle United FC reduced their payments by £4.1m to £20.3m, while Leeds United FC cut theirs by £4.9m to £14m despite returning to the top flight.
Smaller decreases were also recorded by Manchester United FC, West Ham United FC, Brentford FC, Fulham FC and Nottingham Forest FC.
Beyond the Premier League, agent spending also rose across the English football pyramid. In the Women’s Super League, fees increased by 75% to £3.8m, with Chelsea FC Women accounting for more than a quarter of the total at £1.1m.
Bayern’s 3-2 win at Old Trafford, headlined by a double for childhood United fan Pernille Harder, gave the German side the advantage before the second leg.
But with 11 minutes gone, Malard made the most of a Bayern defensive mix-up to give United the lead on the night and level up the tie.
Jayde Riviere launched a ball up-field and Bayern ‘keeper Ena Mahmutovic failed to clear, allowing Malard to nab the ball and roll it into an empty net.
