Agents earned half a billion in summer transfer window
FT Desk
- 9 Sept 2022 17:35 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea led global spending in the recent transfer window while the Premier League hit a record €2.2 billion spent on transfers. Agents pocketed 10 per cent of that total.
That's according to the latest report published by world football's global governing body, FIFA.
The Premier League spent the most on transfers this summer, their €2.2bn total nearly as much as La Liga, Ligue 1, Serie A and the Bundesliga spent put together.
Three players hit the €100 million mark, two of them moving to England, with Antony's transfer to Manchester United from Ajax and Darwin Nunez's arrival at Liverpool from Benfica matched by the fee spent by Real Madrid on Monaco's Aurelien Tchouameni.
All told, nearly €5bn was spent on transfers around the world, and FIFA's report confirms that fully 10 per cent of that total - €500 million - was spent on agents' fees.
The recent window was a record in world football, surpassing the previous high by nearly 30 per cent.
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Which clubs spent the most money this summer?
Chelsea led the way, dropping nearly €300m on eight players, one of whom - Wesley Fofana - they made the most expensive defender of all-time with an €80m package given to Leicester.
Nottingham Forest, perhaps surprisingly, next on the list with a €162m outlay. The Premier League new boys signed a staggering 22 new players this summer.
Money must grow on trees in Nottingham Forest. 🌲 💸https://t.co/5kWgCf8Tv8
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) September 1, 2022
Barcelona, despite their recent financial travails, completed that particular podium, spending €160m on Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde, whilst signing a host of players on free transfers.
UEFA has proposed financial regulation that will cap member clubs' spending at 70 per cent of revenue. English football is looking at implementing similar rules domestically, but as yet nothing has been signed off.
