Premier League clubs spent £211m on agents over past year - Football Association
- Published
Liverpool were involved in 19 transactions between 1 February 2017 and 31 January 2018, including the signings of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk
Premier League clubs paid agents £211m in the past year, an increase of £37m.
Liverpool were the top flight's biggest spenders at £26.8m and Chelsea second with £25.1m, according to Football Association data based on transfers from 1 February 2017 to 31 January 2018.
English clubs across the top five divisions spent £257m on agent fees, also an increase of £37m on 2016-17.
National League club Aldershot were the lowest spenders with £112.
However several clubs at National League level and below gave no money at all to agents.
FA data published last year showed fees paid by English clubs to agents rose by 38% in 12 months - up from £160m to £220m in 2016-17.
Championship clubs spent £42.1m in the past year, compared to £42.4m in 2016-17, which was an increase of 62% on the previous 12 months.
There was an increase in League One spending this year, from £3.1m to £3.5m.
League Two clubs spent £958,969 - up from £821,450 - while the National League total was £188,869, down from £271,065.
Premier League clubs spent an estimated record total of £1.9bn on transfers over the 2017-18 season, according to Deloitte.
The accountancy firm estimated top-flight clubs' net transfer spend - taking into account money made from player sales - at £755m, 17% of their forecast revenue for the season.
Manchester City (£23.5m) were the Premier League's third-highest spenders, followed by Manchester United (£18m), Watford (£13,4m), Everton (£12.1m) and Arsenal (£10.6m).
Huddersfield, promoted to the top flight last season, spent the least with £2.5m, followed by Burnley's £3.3m.
In the Championship, Aston Villa were the top spenders with £5,5m, followed by Sunderland's £4.4m and Reading's £2.8m. Bolton's total of £223,432 was the lowest in the division.
Blackburn were League One's highest spenders on £764,024, followed by Wigan on £557,333, with Bury the lowest spenders on £25,169.
Coventry's total of £113,620 was the highest in League Two, with Wycombe the lowest spenders on £7,311.
Leyton Orient, relegated from the English Football League last season for the first time in 112 years, spent £39,537, the highest in the National League.