From DG :
I read this in The Times.
How do Arsenal spend sooo much while only buying one player this summer (which didn’t exactly break the bank).
And this is a massive increase over the previous year (when we did spend some money – Sanchez)
I know Wenger in the past has said giving players new contracts are like ‘new signings’, but on the surface this seems a joke. Maybe one of your readers has some insight?
Note: it says the time period is Oct 2014-Sept 2015
——————-
Barclays Premier League clubs spent almost £130 million on agent fees over the past year — an increase of 68 per cent during the course of the present broadcasting deal.
The biggest outlay for the 12 months to September 30 was by Liverpool (£14.3 million), followed by Manchester United (£13.8 million), Manchester City (£12.4 million), Chelsea (£12 million), Arsenal (£11.9 million) and West Ham United (£7 million).
The expenditure on agents — usually as commission for player transfers or contract renewals — went from £77 million in 2012, the final year of the previous Premier League broadcasting deal, to £96.7 million in 2013, £115.3 million last year and now to £129.8 million.
Liverpool officials pointed out that their figure has decreased since last year — albeit by less than £7,000 — and that the club have been involved in an unusually large number of transactions over the past two seasons. Deals such as the signing of Roberto Firmino from Hoffenheim, for a projected £29 million fee, included a large commission payment to an agent.
The outlay of Chelsea, who were the biggest spenders on agents in last year’s figures, fell by £4.8 million.
Tottenham Hotspur managed an even greater reduction, from £11 million to £6 million, whereas the corresponding figures for Arsenal and United increased by £7.6 million and £5.9 million, respectively.
Cardiff City (£2.8 million), Fulham (£2.7 million), and Reading and Queens Park Rangers (both £2.4 million) had the highest agent expenditure in the Sky Bet Football League. Accrington Stanley, Bury and Hartlepool all paid nothing in agent-related commission.
Premier League clubs’ agents fees Oct 2014-Sept 2015 (£)
Liverpool 14,301,464
Man United 13,881,814
Man City 12,429,380
Chelsea 11,961,206
Arsenal 11,928,584
West Ham 7,049,001
Tottenham 5,987,052
Newcastle 5,946,031
Southampton 5,391,172
Stoke City 5,308,545
Aston Villa 4,986,058
Crystal Palace 4,719,931
Everton 4,479,432
Swansea 4,250,030
Leicester 4,057,727
Sunderland 3,404,540
West Brom 3,342,217
Norwich 2,484,285
Bournemouth 2,328,862
Watford 1,620,229
Total £129.8m
———————
Myles says:
Some fans may be rather puzzled because Arsenal only signed Cech and Gabriel in the period October 2014-Sept 2015.
The most obvious explanation of that high-looking £11.9m is that Arsenal had staggered payments to the agents of Ozil, and maybe Sanchez as well.
Since an agent gets paid when his player moves, you have to incentivise him to keep the player where he is.
The cost of signing an average PL player now includes an agent fee of at least £1m. Petr Cech agent fee was probably £2m.