A thriving men’s transfer market has led to clubs spending a record $888m (£700m) on fees for intermediaries in 2023 while women’s football paid more than $1m in agents fees for the first time, to a total of just under $1.4m.
New statistics from Fifa report a 42.5% increase in the total fees paid this year, with the Premier League leading the way. The English top flight was responsible for more than a quarter of all spending on agents, at $280m. Saudi Arabia, which made headlines for its recruitment drive this past summer, spent $86m in fees, though the Saudi Pro League recruited agents only to help facilitate the purchase of players, rather than their sale.
