Chelsea forked out almost £30million in agents fees over a 12-month period, making them the biggest spenders in London.
New data from the Football Association (FA) has revealed that Premier League clubs paid an eye-watering £272.6m to agents between February 2021 and the end of the January transfer window in 2022, a small rise on the £272.2m figure from the year before.
London clubs contributed £83m to that overall figure. Chelsea led the way on £28.2m, which will have covered the club-record arrival of Romelu Lukaku last summer, representing a drop from around £35m in the previous year.
North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham were next with £18.7m and £13.9m paid respectively, while West Ham are fourth on the list in the capital at £10.5m.
Crystal Palace oversaw a summer overhaul at Selhurst Park but their payments rose only by around £2m to £8.9m. Brentford paid out just £3.5m in agent fees across their first two transfer windows as a Premier League club.
The two Manchester clubs led the way in the Premier League, however. Manchester City top the list at £35m, while United, who saw Cristiano Ronaldo re-join in the summer, paid out £29m to agents.
Clubs pay fees to agents when players are signed or agree loans and/or new contracts.
Agent payments - London club table for 2021/2022
1. Chelsea - £28.2m
2. Arsenal - £18.7m
3. Tottenham - £13.9m
4. West Ham - £10.5m
5. Crystal Palace - £8.9m
6. Brentford - £3.5m
