Premier League clubs have shattered records by paying £460m to agents over the past year, marking a 13% increase from the previous period. Chelsea led the spending spree with £65.1m, continuing their three-year dominance. The west London club recently announced the biggest pre-tax loss in Premier League history at £262m, partly attributed to selling nearly £300m worth of players to comply with Uefa sanctions.

Aston Villa followed in second place with £38.4m, representing the highest increase of any club at £13.4m. Manchester City rounded out the top three with £37.4m, though their spending fell dramatically by £14.8m from the previous year. Arsenal, Liverpool, and Wolves also saw significant jumps in agent fees, while promoted Sunderland experienced a notable increase from £2.2m to £10.6m following their play-off victory.

The financial trend extended beyond the Premier League, with Championship payments rising 10% to £69.7m and League One experiencing an 85% surge to £14m. Women's Super League clubs increased their spending by 75% to £3.8m, with Chelsea again leading the way with £1.1m - accounting for over a quarter of the total. The data reveals how clubs across all divisions are allocating substantial resources to agent intermediaries despite facing financial pressures.