The Football Association has published its annual figures for agent and intermediary fees, revealing a vast divide in spending across the English Football League.
Clubs in the Championship collectively spent £63,201,447 on agents between February 2024 and February 2025, a significant increase from previous years – and nearly nine times the amount spent by League One clubs over the same period.
Leeds United Lead The Way
Leeds United were responsible for a staggering £18.8m of that total – nearly 30% of the entire Championship outlay. Their spending was greater than nine Premier League clubs, highlighting their aggressive approach to recruitment as they seek a return to the top flight.
Burnley (£5.3m) and Sheffield United (£4.4m), both in receipt of parachute payments following relegation, also featured prominently on the list. Hull City (£3.2m) and Norwich City (£2.6m) rounded out the top five.
Coventry City, under the management of Frank Lampard, spent £1.55m – placing them 14th in the table. Their outlay covered 21 transactions, including the signings of Matt Grimes, Jamie Paterson, and several younger talents, as well as Lampard’s own appointment.
Only a handful of clubs, including Sheffield Wednesday (£797k), Derby County (£707k), Portsmouth (£696k), and Oxford United (£573k), spent less than £1 million, with promoted clubs typically opting for more modest budgets.
League One And Two Maintain Modest Spending
Spending in League One totalled £7,582,927 – up from £5.23m the previous year. Huddersfield Town led that division with a £1.16m spend, ahead of Wrexham (£784k) and Birmingham City (£589k). Meanwhile, the likes of Barnsley (£368k) and Rotherham United (£262k) were far more restrained.
League Two clubs paid a combined £2,740,669. Bradford City and Doncaster Rovers spent £178k and £153k respectively, while Harrogate Town were among the lowest at just over £80k. Gillingham, Carlisle, Fleetwood, and Port Vale were the highest spenders in the fourth tier.
In total, EFL clubs paid over £73.5m in fees – a figure dwarfed by the Premier League’s £409m spend over the same period, but one that still highlights growing financial pressures in the lower leagues.
Writer’s View
These figures tell a story not just about ambition, but about inequality. The dominance of parachute-funded clubs in the Championship is stark, with Leeds United’s near-£19m spend skewing the entire division. In League One and Two, modest increases reflect the growing competitiveness, but also underline how vast the gap is between the top and bottom of the EFL pyramid. As the pressure to climb grows, so too does the reliance on agents – and the price for progress keeps rising.
