Arsenal’s fees to agents and intermediaries hit record levels in the year up to February 2024, according to the latest figures released by The FA.
In total, the Gunners spent £24.7 million – the fifth highest in the Premier League – up from £16.7 million last year.
The figures take into account payments for recruiting and selling (summer 2023 and January 2024) and the renewal of contracts.
Arsenal spent big on Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber in the summer, recruited David Raya on loan and handed new deals to the likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Aaron Ramsdale, Bukayo Saka, Reiss Nelson, William Saliba, Martin Odegaard and Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Nuno Tavares’ loan moves, the sale of Auston Trusty and the cancellation of Nicolas Pepe’s contract also came at a cost.
Premier League clubs spent nearly £410 million on agents and intermediaries in 12 months with Chelsea (£75.1 million) and Manchester City (£60.6 million) responsible for a third of the outlay.
ARSENAL INTERMEDIARY FEES SINCE 2016
2016 – £3.13 million
2017 – £10.15 million
2018 – £10.56 million
2019 – £11.18 million
2020 – £13.55 million
2021 – £16.46 million
2022 – £18.65 million
2023 – £16.75 million
2024 – £24.70 million
The rate of that increase looks unsustainable. No?
Looks like we need to triple our spending
Wow. Such large amounts expended there by the big clubs especially.
*⅓ coming from the financially doped duo alone
And thats only the visible part…
£400M to middle parasitic folk leeching of this administratively broken sport.
Capitalist corruption at its finest… [vomit emoji]
How do I become an agent?
Just give me £500,000 and I’ll introduce you to the right people.
Pass the twat exam and you’re in.
1) Get a top quality footballer.
2) Take 10% of everything he does.
3) Er… that’s it.
Becoming an agent is a good idea esp when you have good connections with Managers, Directors & CXO of a club.
Nothing new here. This was George Grahams undoing, when there was an idea that this wasn’t a thing. Now it accepted and has grown with rates. They’re basically estate agents.
Estate agent is not a good comparison, not in the UK anyway.
This is because in the UK the estate agent is working for the seller and is paid by the seller. The buyer pays nothing to the estate agent.
That’s industry-specific minutiae, you’re assuming that cash isn’t already included in the padded up buy price. Estate agents are there to bump up the price, so whatever the seller is paying them is usually more than worth it in how much more they earn from the sale, that’s how agents justify their existence. What the seller pays them has to come first from the buyer.
The answer is probably very little but what do these people do to justify a club paying such fees? More to the point the clubs must be missing a brain cell or have no brains.