Chelsea top Premier League table for agent fees after spending £75m in 2023-24 season

Chelsea spent a lot of money, about £75.1 million, on agents during the 2023/24 season. That’s a huge amount and likely the most any Premier League club has ever spent in one season.

Manchester City also spent a lot, £60.6 million, and they were the top spenders last year too, with £51.5 million.

After them, Manchester United spent £34 million, Liverpool spent £31.5 million, and Arsenal spent £24.7 million.

Chelsea’s spending on agents was even more than what six other Premier League clubs spent on transfers altogether. That’s Brentford, Fulham, Palace, Sheffield United, Everton, and Luton combined! Chelsea also outspent every Championship club on agents’ fees.

In the past two transfer windows, Chelsea has spent a lot, including £115 million on Moises Caicedo from Brighton, even though Liverpool also wanted him.

They also beat Liverpool to sign Romeo Lavia from Southampton for £58 million. Along with him, they signed Christopher Nkunku, Cole Palmer, Axel Disasi, Nicolas Jackson, and Robert Sanchez.

Last summer alone, Chelsea spent an estimated £422 million on 14 players. But they didn’t buy anyone during the January transfer window.

Here’s how much the top clubs spent on agents:

• Chelsea: £75,140,524
• Manchester City: £60,626,025
• Manchester United: £34,054,001
• Liverpool: £31,500,211
• Arsenal: £24,760,875
• Aston Villa: £21,160,122
• Tottenham: £19,731,099
• Newcastle: £18,881,923
• Bournemouth: £15,999,925
• West Ham: £13,880,365
• Wolves: £13,392,541
• Nottingham Forest: £13,063,455
• Fulham: £12,062906
• Brighton: £11,393,102
• Crystal Palace: £11,082,430
• Everton: £10,623,224
• Brentford: £8,147,957
• Burnley: £6,944,589
• Sheffield United: £5,127,509
• Luton: £2,020,146

In total, over £1 billion has been spent across the first four transfer windows since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took control of Chelsea. They’ve also sold over £400 million worth of players during that time.

There’s worry about whether Chelsea will follow the Premier League’s rules about spending and profits before the June 30 deadline. There are rumors that Chelsea might need to sell over £100 million worth of players to stay within the rules. They’re thinking about selling homegrown stars Conor Gallagher, Trevoh Chalobah, Ian Maatsen, and Armando Broja to make a profit.

Premier League clubs are making new rules to control spending, starting from the 2025-2026 season. These rules will limit how much clubs can spend on player costs, including transfer fees, wages, and agents’ fees, to 85% of their annual revenue. But for now, the current rules about profits and spending will still apply to give clubs time to adjust to the new rules.