Premier League Figures Show Agent Fees Increased By $31.1M In Last Year

Premier League clubs paid £96M to agents in fees in the last year, with "Chelsea's outlay more than doubling" to more than £13M, according to the SUNDAY TIMES. Figures "released by the Premier League show clubs" paid £19M more to players' representatives than in the previous 12 months. Chelsea spent a total of £13.7M between Oct. 1, 2012 and Sept. 30 as opposed to £6.5M a year earlier. Man City "had topped the agents spending charts for the previous two years, and now sit second in the big-spenders list when it comes to paying agents." Man City shelled out £11.2M to account for the "arrival of new manager Manuel Pellegrini and another set of expensive summer captures." Its spending has increased from £10.5M the year before (SUNDAY TIMES, 12/1). In London, Keith Ford reported the annual payments report placed Tottenham in third (£9.8M) and Liverpool in fourth (£9.4M). Crystal Palace was "the most frugal," spending £869,531 (INDEPENDENT, 11/30). For the full list of teams' spending, click here.