FA Report Reveals Liverpool Top Premier League Agent Fee List With £44m Spent Between 2018-19
Manchester City might be leading the way in the Premier League table, but as far as agent fees between 2018 and 2019 go, it's Liverpool who are out on top, according to a report published by the FA.
The Reds saw the likes of Fabinho and Alisson Becker arrive in big money moves, and spent more than anyone else on transfer fees throughout 2018, so it comes as no major surprise to see them leading the pack.
The information comes from an FA report published on Wednesday, which details the amounts each Premier League club paid to registered intermediaries between February 2018 and January 2019 - accounting for both the summer and winter transfer windows.
With Liverpool out in front, here are the top ten.
1. Liverpool – £43,795,863
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Perhaps the only surprise here is how much Liverpool are leading by here, considering they spent £160m on four players in the summer - though it's unclear if payments made to Naby Keita's agent are included, since that deal was finalised over a year ago.
As boldly as they've spent, however, they have definitely backed it up. Their investment has transformed them from a plucky top-four contender into the genuine challenger to Manchester City we weren't sure we would get this season.
2. Chelsea - £26,850,552
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Coming in at a distant second-place is Chelsea, whose spending will likely be attributed to the managerial changeover - as well as the £120m they spent to secure Jorginho and Kepa in the summer.
You can expect their figure to drop for 2019-20, however, given that they've been banned from signing any players.
3. Manchester City - £24,122,753
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By their own standards, City spent fairly modestly in 2018-19, perhaps reflecting the stability that Pep Guardiola has been able to instil in the Premier League champions.
The signing of Riyad Mahrez will account for much of their spending here, with the rest made up by the renewal of several key players' contracts in the last 12 months or so.
4. Manchester United - £20,759,350
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The only other team to break the £20m barrier is United, who splashed out on Fred and Diogo Dalot back in the summer.
It seems likely, now that Ole's at the wheel, that this could be on the up over the next 12 months or so. Raphael Varane's agent won't come cheap, after all...
5. Everton - £19,116,370
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The Toffees spent almost £90m on transfers and brought in Marco Silva to replace Sam Allardyce in the summer, so it's no surprise they place so highly in the standings here.
They sit tenth in the Premier League, which is far from a disaster, but given how much they've paid out over the last year, you'd think Europe would be the minimum expectation.
6. West Ham - £14,414,845
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This one's not surprising in the slightest. In fact, you might have expected to see the Irons place a notch or two higher here.
They wasted no time in facilitating Manuel Pellegrini's revolution with no less than ten new arrivals, including high profile moves for Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko, and pushed £100m on transfer fees in total, with agent fees taking their net spend over that barrier.
7. Leicester - £12,720,618
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On the face of it, Leicester ranking so highly here does seem strange, considering some of the big hitters we haven't got to yet, and especially since there were no huge signings at the King Power - not on the level of Richarlison or Felipe Anderson at least.
The Foxes' spending was more widespread, but James Maddison, Ricardo Pereira, Caglar Soyuncu and Rachid Ghezzal all set them back a fair bit. It's likely, however, that Riyad Mahrez's £60m move to Manchester City offset much of their lofty spend on both transfers and keeping agents happy.
8. Arsenal - £11,181,730
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Unai Emery's arrival didn't quite come with the transfer overhaul some expected, with the Spaniard generally opting to work with what he had, and that's why they rank so far down in relation to their stature.
There was some business at the Emirates, however, and most of it has paid off. Lucas Torreira has justified his £27m price tag, while Bernd Leno has proven competent between the sticks, and Matteo Guendouzi - signing for just £7m from Ligue 2 side Lorient - has been something of a revelation considering the low risk nature of his arrival.
9. Tottenham - £11,141,255
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Just £40,000 separates Tottenham from rivals Arsenal in the agent fee rankings, and that's surprising, considering Spurs haven't bought a single player over the last 12 months.
Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Mauricio Pochettino's contract renewals all fall into the bracket here, however, which perhaps explains why they aren't entirely detached from the pack.
10. Watford - £10,849,179
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Rounding off our top ten, and coming in close behind their more esteemed London neighbours, it's Javi Gracia's Watford, who have had a pretty impressive season, sitting in eighth place at present.
They've recruited well, if quietly, with the likes of Gerard Deulofeu and Ben Foster so far proving to be astute pieces of business for the Hornets.
Here's how the rest of the league places.
Bournemouth | £10,295,433 |
Newcastle | £8,868,027 |
Fulham | £8,324,360 |
Crystal Palace | £6,976,425 |
Brighton | £6,859,429 |
Wolves | £6,479,714 |
Southampton | £6,151,107 |
Huddersfield | £5,023,807 |
Burnley | £3,975,928 |
Cardiff | £2,802,375 |
