English clubs account for nearly a THIRD of all spending on agent fees during 2022, reveal FIFA

English clubs accounted for almost a third of all spending on agents in international transfers in 2022, according to FIFA.

The governing body revealed its worldwide figures on Thursday, with English clubs spending £165million of the total £505.6m intermediaries pocketed during the year. 

This year’s spend on agents was also up by 24 per cent from the figures released in 2021, and only 4.9 per cent less than the record spending on intermediary service fees set in 2019 of £531.5m.

English clubs accounted for almost a third of all spending on agents in transfers in 2022

European clubs accounted for 96.2 per cent of the total spend on agents, although English teams’ outlay of £165m dwarfed the next biggest of Italian clubs on £71.8m.

There were several major transfer moves by English clubs during the year, with Manchester United’s purchases of Antony for £85m and Casemiro for £70m two of the more eye-catching deals.

Liverpool also spent £85m to sign former Benfica star Darwin Nunez and Manchester City parted with £51m to purchase Erling Haaland.

The data was published by FIFA in their 2022 Intermediaries in International Transfers report

Manchester United’s combined £155m spend on Antony and Casemiro were two huge deals

There was also a 22 per cent increase in buying clubs using agents to facilitate transfers, to an overall total of 1,532 deals – an all-time record.

Furthermore, in a pattern which may perhaps become more common – there was a record high for players being represented by agents in a transfer – with 15.3 per cent of all international transfers involving an intermediary who had been engaged by a player.

The women’s game has also seen a growth in this field, as transfers including agents used by clubs increased by 42.9 per cent this year.

There were 340 international transfers involving female players which came from the players engaging agents – this proportion of 22.3 per cent is higher than the equivalent in men’s football of 15.3 per cent.